AMHERST – A Belchertown man who allegedly broke into two apartments in North Amherst Thursday afternoon was arrested following a brief foot pursuit by Amherst Police officers.
Ryan M. Krouch, 21, of 10 Board St., was arrested at 4:11 p.m. on two counts of breaking and entering during the daytime to commit a felony, two counts of receiving stolen property over $250, and charges of receiving stolen property under $250 and possession of a class B drug, Xanax, said Detective Marcus Humber.
At 3:06 p.m., police were called to Townehouse Apartments, 50 Meadow St., by tenants living at two of the units at the complex who said an intruder had moments earlier stolen items from their homes – and that they were following him.
“The residents chased him and kept an eye on him,” Humber said.
The suspect attempted to flee into the woods toward North Pleasant Street, where officers responding in a cruiser observed him near the road, Humber said. An officer then pursued the suspect on foot and eventually took Krouch into custody behind the former North Amherst School.
While in custody, officers found various electronic items in Krouch’s backpack that tied him to the Thursday break-ins, as well as a plastic bag stuffed with at least 500 Xanax pills, Humber said.
Other break-ins at Townehouse and other residences earlier in the week continue to be investigated, though it’s not yet known if Krouch was responsible for those, Humber said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
