BUSTED: St. Francis police get 911 call, capture home invasion suspect minutes later



ST FRANCIS (WITI) -- St. Francis police arrested a man suspected of a home invasion in their community on Sunday morning, February 1st. They say a timely 911 call coupled with the freshly fallen snow helped lead them to the suspect.

The 911 call came in just after midnight from a home on Howard Ave. just west of Hwy. 794. The caller reported a person tried to enter their home -- saying he couldn't get in and then left. They did not know who this person was and they were not expecting anyone.

"I went to my kitchen and went to my kitchen window and there was a young man standing. He looked and jumped off my porch, tried to open the driver's door to my truck which was locked, ran across the street to the neighbor's," Christine Walter said.

Walter's daughter was the one who immediately called 911.

Officers immediately responded to the neighborhood and began looking for this person or any other suspicious activity. They located footprints that led them to another home that was nearby. They saw a door had been forced open -- so they announced their presence. At this time, a women cried out for help and a man inside the home fled out the front door. An officer stationed at the front door was able to bring the suspect into custody.

Police say the victim in the second home, a 68-year-old woman was in her bedroom sleeping around 12:15 a.m. when awoken by the intruder. He placed his hand over her mouth, telling her to be quiet, and demanded money. He then proceeded to escort her to the dining room where her purse and its contents had been thrown about. He fled when hearing officers outside the doorway.

"Just think how that is for that woman -- just the invasion of privacy and how scared she must have been," St. Francis Police Chief Brian Kaebisch said.

The victim's granddaughter tells FOX6 she's still unnerved by what happened, but she's physically okay.

Police say the suspect is 34-year-old Scott Vukovic. He has been charged with two felonies -- burglary of a dwelling and attempted robbery with use of force. Vukovic made his initial appearance in court on Wednesday, February 4th. He'll be back in court next Thursday, February 12th for his preliminary hearing.

A criminal complaint says Vukovic told a detective this was the first time he had entered a home, although he had entered vehicles looking for money in the past.

"I'm very glad that I was awake and he tried my door first and I saw him, so I'm glad they were okay other than being scared tremendously because I was too," Walter said.