Sonitrol Pacific detected a break-in at a Puget Sound area recycling center and sent officers to catch the suspected burglar as he tried to escape July 6.

Operator Joe Orsborn received an impact-activated audio alert from the break room of SP Recycling Corp. just after 2 a.m.  He heard scraping sounds and called the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.  Orsborn continued to listen to live audio while officers were en route to the scene in order to keep them informed about what was happening.

Deputies arrived to see a man run out a door on the side of the building and towards a field.  They gave chase and caught the him.

According to officers, the man climbed into the building through a one-foot-square window, grabbed a few small items from the break room and left through a door.  The man had previous felony convictions and was suspected in the burglaries of several nearby businesses.

“Your audio system heard him climb in through the window,” said James Dawson of SP Recycling Corp.  “By the time he was leaving out the side door with stolen property, officers were there to give chase.”