'Gingerbread Man' Burglary Suspect Arrested After Taunting Police On Facebook
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A burglary suspect accused of taunting police on Facebook is now behind bars after authorities say they found him "frantically" trying to hide from them in an attic of a home on the city's North Side.
The Allegheny County Sheriff's Office says Heath Emory Miller, 25, of Mt. Washington, is now in the Allegheny County Jail on five criminal bench warrants.
Miller faces charges ranging from burglary, theft and receiving stolen property in connection with a string of burglaries in the Ross Township and West View areas.
According to the Sheriff's Office, officials tried to arrest Miller on Monday evening in a park in the city's Spring Hill section, but he was able to get away by hiding in a wooded area.
"He was some distance away from the deputies. He spotted them as they pulled in. He immediately ran into the woods he was not apprehended," Allegheny County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Kevin Kraus said.
Authorities say later that night, Miller took to Facebook, posting a taunting message to law enforcement officials.
He said: "They call me the gingerbread man. Catch me if u can. I'm running as fast as I can. Time for new scenery and a new state [expletive] Pgh."
Then, on Tuesday, authorities arrested Miller's girlfriend, 27-year-old Jacklyn Waskiewicz, at her home in Shaler Township. She is charged with hindering the apprehension of her boyfriend.
The Sheriff's Office says after Waskiewicz's arrest, Miller again posted a message to police on his Facebook page.
He said: "You gotta be quicker then that lol. Gingerbread man I told y'all [expletive] just leave me alone."
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Sheriff's deputies and Ross Township Police eventually caught up with Miller at a home on the North Side of the city Wednesday afternoon. They converged on the home, located on Lecky Avenue, and found him hiding in the attic.
"He seemed scared, he didn't seem as tough as his comments he made on Facebook," Kraus said.
Miller will be in court for a hearing in the next few days. Meanwhile, he will remain in jail.
