A 25-year-old Scranton man broke into a vacant property in the city Thursday, police charged.
Patrolman Nicholas Ivanoff responded to 6 Green Ridge St. around 1:09 p.m. after the property owner reported the basement and rear door locks were broken, according to a criminal complaint.
Gurmeet Dhillon discovered the basement lock had been broken when he was checking his property. He saw a man wearing a white T-shirt — later identified as Donte English — flee the residence and head north on the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail, police said.
English initially hid behind a ridge along the trail before hiding in bushes adjacent to the trail, Ivanoff noted in the complaint.
Officers took English into custody and seized a white packet containing suspected marijuana, police said.
Dhillon told Ivanoff he was conducting a general check of the property, which he is renovating, and noticed the lock to the basement door was broken, which he found suspicious, according to the criminal complaint.
He also heard someone walking inside the residence and saw English leave, leading him to call 911, police said.
Police charged English, 148 William St., with criminal trespass, possession of a small amount of marijuana and criminal mischief.
As of Tuesday, English remained in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $5,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 12 at 10:45 a.m.