43
Firefighter with knife, rope held in burglary
Arraignment was postponed for further investigation.
WARREN — The city prosecutor is trying to determine why a city firefighter was in his neighbor’s home uninvited after midnight, carrying a knife and rope.
Police arrested James Gillen, 31, of Atlantic Street Northeast, at his neighbor’s home at 12:34 a.m. Wednesday. A captain at the fire department Wednesday said Gillen has been with the department for about three years.
Gillen is charged with burglary/breaking and entering. He is being housed in the Trumbull County Jail.
According to police reports, Gillen’s neighbor, a 37-year-old woman, while at home received a cell phone call from her son who also was in the home. The woman’s son, in a whispered tone, told her that there was someone in the house and to hurry and get a knife.
The woman called police. They responded and arrested Gillen.
Prosecutor Tracy Timko-Rose said Gillen was highly intoxicated when taken into custody. Police reports said Gillen was also carrying a green vinyl rope and a pocket knife with his name engraved on the blade.
Gillen was to be arraigned in Warren Municipal Court on Wednesday, but Timko-Rose said the arraignment was postponed so investigators could check into a few of the case facts.
“We ... are still trying to figure out exactly what is going on,” she said. “We are trying to figure out what the story is with the knife and the rope. How do you end up in your neighbor’s house with those things? We are taking this very seriously.”
Timko-Rose said one scenario is that Gillen just became overly intoxicated and walked into the wrong house while trying to make his way home. She said that might be a plausible explanation but still does not explain why he was carrying the pocketknife and rope.
Timko-Rose said Gillen is a lifelong resident of Warren with no prior criminal record. She said there is no history of disputes between Gillen and the neighbor.
The neighbor, who Timko-Rose said knows Gillen on a “hi” and “bye” basis as “Jimmie from next door,” is confused as to why the city firefighter would have entered her home in the late evening uninvited.
Timko-Rose said the situation will require close scrutiny by the prosecutor’s office. “I don’t want to wreck his life with this charge for a drunken mistake, but at the same time I don’t want to say it is just a drunken mistake when there was rope and a knife involved,” she said.
jgoodwin@vindy.com