Lockport Union-Sun & Journal — TOWN OF LOCKPORT –– A Middleport man was caught in a Lockport homeowner’s garage earlier this week.

Niagara County Sheriff’s deputies reported Tuesday they were called to a Chestnut Ridge Road home, where the owner was standing in the driveway with another man he said was in his garage.

The victim informed deputies he had heard his dog barking, so he went outside and discovered his 20 pound propane tank was moved from his back porch into the middle of the yard.

Jeremie B. West, 32, 8398 State St., Middleport was charged with third-degree burglary and third-degree grand larceny. He was arraigned in Lockport Town Court Tuesday and transferred to Niagara County Jail.

“I can’t believe I did this, I’ve never done this before,” West reportedly told deputies.

The victim reportedly went to the main door on the west side of the garage, which was unlocked because as he was in the process of fixing a leak inside of the house, he was going back and forth between the garage and his house.

The victim reached inside to turn on the garage lights and flood lights then walked back to the main door. He noticed lights were shining on his driveway and found it odd because the overhead garage doors should have been closed. He walked to the front of his garage and discovered the east garage door was propped open with a wheel chuck from his garage.

The victim looked through the window of the east garage door and saw an unknown man crouched down on the floor beside his race car. The victim opened up the east garage door all the way to confront the unknown man and instructed his daughter to call the police. 

West allegedly was wearing a pair of his “Mechanic” black mechanic gloves and threw a five-roll sleeve of electrical tape that he had in his pocket, prior to the deputies arriving. The victim said he found his solar lights were pulled out of the ground from the area of his back porch and then placed in a pile on the ground behind the garage. His US General four drawer rolling tool box that contained measuring devices and four electronic scales was outside of the garage near his trailer.

Deputies reported West was attempting to remove items such as an aluminum hydraulic car jack, a power washer, a small high volume electric box fan and another US General four drawer rolling tool box that contained miscellaneous tools and items. The approximate value of the items West was trying to take was $9,400.