SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on burglary charges.
Just after 3a.m. Thursday, the desk clerk at the Country Inn and Suites, 2760 South 9th in Salina received a call from someone claiming to have passed by on the interstate and saw a person with a flashlight out by the hotel’s shed, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.
The desk clerk told police he had to take out the trash anyway, so he left the desk for a minute to investigate.
While walking back to the desk, the clerk said he saw a white passenger car speed off and he knew instantly that the phone report was a distraction. While the clerk was outside a suspect stole $360 from the cash register.
Capt. Forrester said that an officer in the area saw a white Honda Accord near the Casey’s on the corner of Ninth and Magnolia. The officer determined that the driver did not have a valid license and made a traffic stop.
The officer found evidence of the burglary during the stop. Police recovered around $320, saying that Tanner Ireland purchased snacks and gas before authorities arrived.
A hotel supervisor informed police that Ireland was fired from the hotel a few weeks prior to the incident. Police booked him for one count of aggravated burglary and theft.