'More scared than anything': Police arrest stolen vehicle suspect accused of entering Aberdeen home

A man suspected of stealing a vehicle in Aberdeen and unlawfully entering a residence on 22nd Avenue Northeast is in police custody.

Part of North State Street was blocked off Wednesday afternoon as police responded to to the incident. Aberdeen Police Department Capt. Tanner Jondahl said officers were trying to get a suspect out of a residence on 22nd Avenue Northeast.

The property belongs to Stan and Renee Wise. Renee and her son, William, were both home shortly after 2 p.m. when the man snuck into the house.

William, who is a senior at Central High School, was home because he has two open periods at the end of the day. Renee, who currently works the night shift, was just starting her day.

Renee said she initially thought someone was outside delivering a package. That's until she heard a door open. Unsure of what she heard, but noticing the pets were acting strange, she first called for her husband, thinking maybe he had returned home. But she only got a mumble in response. When Renee called for William, she said the response she got wasn't her son's voice.

William said that's when he left his room to investigate and spotted movement in a closet. After reporting that to his mom, William said, the man burst out of the closet and ran into the garage.

"He seemed more scared than anything," William said.

Both said the man didn't threaten them and only asked for a place to hide. However, Renee said, authorities did find two guns in the abandoned stolen vehicle.

As police attempted to apprehend the man, Renee said he hid in her car in the garage.

Police were going to use a drone to search the garage, officers told the family.

A couple of doorknobs leading out of the home's three-season room were broken, Renee said, but there wasn't any other damage.

Eventually, the Wises went to a friend's house while police worked to resolve the situation.

The suspect was taken into custody about 4:45 p.m., Jondahl said, when officers entered the residence and arrested him.

Jondahl said the situation started with a report of a stolen vehicle Wednesday morning. In the course of that investigation, officers saw the vehicle on the north side of town. The driver fled officers, Jondahl said, but the vehicle was soon found abandoned on 22nd Avenue Northeast near North State Street.

In approaching the vehicle, Jondahl said, officers heard activity at a nearby home. The people in the home were able to get out of the home safely, he said.

The name of the suspect will be available after he makes his initial court appearance on Friday.

The incident developed in the early afternoon, prior to school dismissal. As it was close to both C.C. Lee Elementary School and Holgate Middle School, parents were notified by the school district that students at C.C. Lee and Holgate needed to be picked up at the front of the schools and would not be allowed to walk home.

The law enforcement response was heavy north of C.C. Lee, with police cars, an ambulance and larger vehicles, including the police department's MaxxPro surplus military vehicle.

Jondahl said because of the elementary school's proximity to the incident, the school was placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution.

At least two police officers were keeping watch in or near the school parking lot as classes dismissed.

In addition to North State Street, other streets in the neighborhood were blocked off, including 22nd Avenue Northeast.

Aberdeen police, the Brown County Sheriff's Office, Brown County Emergency Management, the South Dakota Highway Patrol and Aberdeen Fire & Rescue responded to the call.

Editor's note: The home the Wise family went to after they left their house was that of Scott Waltman, editor of the American News.