K-9 Rex Collars Restaurant Rooftop Burglar, Deputies Say

K-9 Rex of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office cornered an alleged burglar inside a Thai restaurant Thursday, after scaling a ladder and discovering the rooftop hole where the suspect had entered the building.

Deputies say that Bryon Newville, 29, will face an aggravated burglary charge, after he is released from the hospital, where he is being treated for injuries sustained when he fell through the ceiling of the Thai Spice Restaurant, 6233 14th St. W., Bradenton.

Deputies first arrived on the scene when a caller phoned 911 about a person walking across the roof of a strip mall at about 4 a.m. Thursday, July 11. 

Witnesses told authorities that they had watched the suspect use the conduit from power meters attached to the building to climb the wall and shimmy on to the roof.

Deputies surrounded the building, after witnesses reported that the suspect had not come down from the roof.

The fire department was dispatched to the scene, as was a deputy with a K-9. The dog climbed a ladder to gain access to the roof. The K-9 alerted his handler to  a rooftop air handler that had been pried open, with a hole large enough for someone to fit into it, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Each building in the strip mall was checked. Broken ceiling tile and debris were found at the Thai Spice Restaurant.  The K-9 made entry with handler  Deputy Wolfinger.

Deputies say that K-9 Rex located Newville hiding in the freezer. Commands were made to come out. When the suspect did not comply, Rex located Newville, biting him in the right upper thigh, authorities said.  Newville then surrendered to deputies.

The restaurant sustained heavy damage. Investigators say that traces of Newville's blood from injuries suffered when he fell through the ceiling show that that he moved around the restaurant and attempted to open the cash register.  

It appears his intended target was the pharmacy, but he chose the wrong air handler to fall through, deputies say.