Valley resident chases, detains suspected burglar

A suspected burglar was caught Thursday by a resident of the Spokane Valley home he broke into to steal cigarettes, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Around 9:20 p.m. on the 12900 block of East Cataldo Avenue, the resident was watching TV when he caught a glimpse of someone wearing blue running out the rear slider door of the home, he told deputies. He chased two people through two yards until they tried to hide under a truck. The burglary victim detained one of the suspects until deputies arrived, but the other escaped, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release. The detained suspect, 19-year-old Preston Fitzgerald-Butcher, told deputies he entered the back door of the home trying to steal cigarettes, the news release said. Fitzgerald-Butcher faces a charge of felony residential burglary. The second suspect’s identity is unknown.