Burglary suspect Tasered, stopped

by Becky Vevea and Meghan Maginot

Wednesday, October 8, 2008 00:00

A 26-year-old Madison man was listening to opera music on his laptop early Monday evening in his apartment on East Gorham Street, when he saw two hands reach through the nearby window screen and grab the laptop.

Taurus Bowdry, 34, of Madison has been charged with residential burglary, resisting a law enforcement officer, battery to a law enforcement officer and a parole hold.

Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, said students are often victims of residential burglaries because they have a lot of expensive electronic equipment.

“The big ticket items are always the ones that are going to be targeted first,” Judge said.

The victim was able to recover the stolen laptop by the time extra backup arrived.

According to the police report, an officer on duty in James Madison Park responded to screams from the victim nearby, who had already begun to chase the burglar.

The officer and other witnesses continued the foot chase until the suspect came to a fence. A pursuing policeman tried to contain the suspect but was struck in the chest.

A nearby witness, who had previously been a wrestler, grabbed the suspect and pinned him to the ground. When more backup arrived, the suspect was still struggling, so the police used a Taser device to stop the suspect from escaping.

According to Judge, police using Tasers is not a common occurrence.

There have already been several residential burglaries around the campus area this year, and police try to inform students of ways they can keep themselves and their belongings safe.

One of the problems, Judge said, with communicating this safety concern to students is that “authority figures start to sound like Mom and Dad.”

Judge said students should lock their doors and windows, make sure all their roommates have keys and never prop doors open.

“All of these super simple facts of life — if everybody did those, burglaries would drop through the floor, guaranteed,” Judge said.

Students can do other things to secure their electronics, such as using a laptop cord. Judge said students should buy renter’s insurance because it is cheap and helps a lot in cases like this.

“Just lock your doors,” Judge said. “It will make your life so much easier.”