A northern Kentucky man has been arrested after burglarizing the apartment of an 80-year-old woman who had just died.
The Independence Police Department arrested 45-year-old Daniel Scribner, of Independence, on Sunday night and charged him with second-degree burglary.
Scribner is accused of breaking into the apartment of a woman who had died earlier in the day. Scribner, who formally lived in the apartment complex, entered the home after the body was transported from the residence, according to a report by FOX19.com. The woman died of what appears to be natural causes.
Scribner was arrested when a neighbor of the deceased woman noticed that the blinds in the residence were closed when, after first responders left the scene, the blinds were open.
“He (the neighbor) thought that was suspicious because when the police and fire department left they were unable to secure the residence (because) they couldn’t find a key to it,” Kenton Co. Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders told FOX19.com.
Police responded to the scene and found the door to the apartment barricaded. Officers then forced entry and a K-9 officer searched the apartment. While securing the home, police found a ladder in the laundry room.
Further investigation revealed Scribner hiding in the attic with the deceased woman’s jewelry in a bag.
“It’s particularly offensive; to know someone would prey upon the dead,” Sanders told FOX19.com.
Sanders speculated that Scribner may have been aware of first responders and the coroner’s office being at the apartment earlier in the day, which led the suspect to believe the apartment might be empty.
Scribner is being held in the Kenton County Detention Center on a $10,000 cash bond.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
