CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A man was booked into the Ross County Jail after Chillicothe police say surveillance footage helped identify him as the suspect who stole a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy from a Jefferson Avenue residence.
According to a Chillicothe Police Department report, officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Jefferson Avenue shortly after 6 a.m. on August 17 for a reported theft.
The resident told police she heard a noise coming from her back porch and checked her Ring camera. Police say the footage showed a man wearing gray shorts, a black hoodie and a black beanie picking up and taking a three-foot Ninja Turtle figure from the porch.
An officer reviewing a still photograph from the footage described the suspect as a white male with a tattoo on his left forearm and relayed the description to other officers.
Police said Officer Christian Seymour later encountered two people walking in an alley near Jackson Avenue. According to the report, one of the individuals appeared to increase his pace as Seymour approached. The man was identified as Jason Dailey.
The report states another nearby resident provided additional security footage allegedly showing Dailey walking down the street carrying the Ninja Turtle figure. Police said Seymour returned Dailey to the Jefferson Avenue residence, where officers compared him with the surveillance footage and reported identifying him through his clothing and a tattoo on his left arm.
When questioned about where the stolen toy had been placed, police allege Dailey responded, “If you wrote me a summons, I’ll tell you.”
The officer advised Dailey that he was going to jail regardless, according to the report. Police said Dailey then refused to disclose where the figure was located.
Officers searched the surrounding area but were unable to recover the Ninja Turtle figure.
Dailey was transported to the Ross County Jail and booked on a misdemeanor charge of theft without consent. Jail records listed his bond at $1,000 with a 10-percent provision.
The police report also states Dailey told an officer that he did not steal anything and said he had a substance dependency and was “just trying to make it on the streets.”
Dailey is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
