OKC police bust accused serial burglar
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City man is behind bars accused in a string of overnight home break-ins.
The series of burglaries happened in the city’s far northwest side.
The same suspect is accused of at least a half-dozen crimes, maybe more.
“He jumped my fence and tried the side door. He got into the garage and into the house. I didn’t have it locked,” theft victim Toni Copeland said.
That’s a common tale in Toni’s neighborhood.
Police say Dwane Blonner broke into numerous homes overnight as the owners slept inside.
Just a few blocks away Linda Low also fell victim.
“The window was partially open. It took me awhile to figure out we had been robbed,” Low said.
“He would make entry and be in and out quickly, often in a matter of seconds,” Oklahoma City police MSgt. Gary Knight said.
Police eventually tracked down Blonner using a victim’s stolen cell phone to an apartment complex.
“I still can’t believe it,” Keosha Jackson said.
Jackson, the mother of the Blonner’s child, denied knowing about the thefts until the police showed up at her door.
“It’s crazy. I mean, I don’t know if he did ‘em all. I really don’t know,” Jackson said.
A search of the Department of Corrections records show a parade of old mugshots for Blonner and previous convictions for burglary and theft.
Despite facing several decades of potential prison time, a judge granted Blonner a suspended sentence after less than a year behind bars.
That’s frustrating news to Blonner’s latest alleged victims.
“You know with the jails so full they let ‘em go out so they can do it again,” Copeland said.
For their part, police said Blonner’s string of alleged crimes illustrates some advice everyone should follow.
“We always encourage people to lock their doors when they’re home, the same as if they were away from home,” Knight said.
Earlier this month police arrested a different suspect, Jeremy Smith, for breaking into homes overnight in the same area.
Police said the two suspects are not connected to each other but combined they may have broken into two-dozen homes.
