Oklahoma Co. Deputies Bust Burglars By Following Their Footprints In Snow

The winter weather has done its share of damage, but it actually helped build a case for metro investigators.

Monday, December 9th 2013, 10:51 pm

By: News 9


The winter weather has done its share of damage, but it actually helped build a case for metro investigators.

The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office says it busted two burglars by following their tracks in the snow to crime scenes.

12/9/2013 Related Story: Footprints In Snow Lead Deputies To Recent Burglaries

Moreover, the burglary suspects apparently got hungry at one point and the snack they stole came back to bite them.

"Of course, the dogs are raising a ruckus out there and when I open the door, it's the sheriff's department which kind of shocked me," said Harrah resident Clifford Cooper.

Oklahoma County Sheriff's deputies knocked on Cooper's door early December 6, 2013, and told him he had been burglarized.

One of Cooper's neighbors had called them earlier to report that Coleton Zanola and Rocky Roark rang her doorbell at 3 a.m. and ran off in the middle of a snowstorm.

When deputies arrived in the neighborhood, they located the two suspects and followed their tracks in the snow, which lead to Cooper's garage.

Someone had tried to steal the car stereo from Cooper's granddaughter's truck.

Investigators checked the truck for any evidence and said they found something strange in the truck - a partially-eaten granola bar.

The deputy followed the same footprints to another nearby home where the homeowner reported a burglary and said someone stole granola bars.

"I'm not a crook and I don't know they think, but if I'm out trying to steal something, I'm not going to stop and eat lunch in the middle," Cooper chuckled.

Deputies found a bike lying near the second home and when they followed the snow prints to a third home, they said the owner reported a bike had been stolen.

"Quite unique that Old Man Winter really was our best witness in this case and all the deputy had to do was follow the snow footprint tracks," said Mark Myers with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office.

Cooper cannot believe the irony of the situation.

"Isn't that something? What I thought was, these guys probably figured this would be the night to go because everyone is going to be bundled up, the cold, they're not going to hear anything and that's what got them in trouble!"

Zanola and Roark were both booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on complaints of 2nd degree burglary.

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