Dog found, burglar still on the loose in Arlington break-in

By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

An Arlington family was reunited with their dog Wednesday night, several days after it ran off when an intruder was found inside their home.

DJ, a Shetland sheepdog owned by Lisa Decker and her husband Jeffrey Maxtutis, was found about three miles from the couple’s home on Waverly Street in Arlington Heights Wednesday when the dog wondered into the backyard of a home on Fairview Avenue near the Winchester line.

“I just kept expecting a call that she’d gotten hit,” said a relieved Decker, who said her dog had to cross several major streets, including Massachusetts Avenue to get to Fairview Avenue.

But while the family has been re-united with their pet, Arlington Police say they are still looking for the man who broke into the Waverly Street home.

Decker said she found the intruder inside her home shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday when she got up to let DJ out of the house.

When Decker spotted the strange man, she said she “screamed her head off” and the intruder fled out the door, leaving behind several musical instruments, including a bass clarinet and a guitar he’d apparently been preparing to steal.

Decker said she and her husband called police and that’s when she realized that DJ was missing.

Decker said she doesn’t know if DJ had chased after the intruder or not.

Arlington Police Captain Robert Bongiorno said Decker’s screams awoke a neighbor, who also called 911, and the neighbor reported seeing a man running through a yard.
Police said the burglar was described as a white man in his early 20s who was wearing a dark dress shirt and pants and a light colored baseball cap.

Bongiorno said police are investigating whether the break-in is connected to an attempted break-in at the nearby Dallin Elementary School earlier that morning.
Police are asking the residents to be extra vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police.

Decker she and her husband looked for DJ for almost four days until a resident on Fairview Avenue found the dog and called the number of the sheepdog’s tag.

Decker said she’s glad that no one was hurt, and nothing was taken, but her family is now installing a security system after the break-in.

--brock.globe@gmail.com