On Thursday February 2, 2017 at approximately 11:40 AM the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Patrol received a call from a resident at 74 Fairgrounds Rd. in the Town of Thompson who reported that someone had broken into his house. The caller, who normally works the overnight shift, was sleeping when his bedroom door suddenly opened and he woke up and saw a white male with a ski mask standing in the door way.

The caller advised that he apparently startled the masked intruder, who took off running. Sheriff’s Patrol units responded as well as a backup car from the Monticello Police Department. At the scene, Deputy Roy Rogers and Officer Jacob Miller of the Monticello Police located a set of foot prints in the snow coming out of a basement door at the rear of the residence. The officers followed the tracks around the corner to 22 Schroeder Street.

Police units surrounded the location and interviewed the occupants. The investigation eventually led to the arrest of Thomas J. Stalter, 44, who is on parole for burglary. Stalter, who was just released in December, gave his address as the Willowemoc Motel in Livingston Manor.  Sheriff’s Detectives recovered a ski mask and a pair of boots from the Schroeder Street location. The boots were secured to compare the tread pattern with the tracks in the snow. Stalter was charged with a single count of Burglary in the 2^nd Degree, a class C Felony. He was arraigned before Thompson Town Justice Martin Miller and sent to the Sullivan County Jail without bail pending further court action.