Man found drinking beer in closet after breaking into home, police say

MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) - A Virginia man has been charged after authorities say he broke into a Monongalia County home early Saturday morning.

Deputies went to a home on Ramp Hollow Rd. in Morgantown around 5:30 a.m. Saturday after receiving a report of a burglary, according to a criminal complaint.

The victim told police someone broke her window the night before, and deputies said her neighbors told her they saw 56-year-old Jeffrey Harder, of Lynchburg, Virginia, leaving the house through the front door.

Deputies said they saw fresh blood near the front door, and the victim said Harder stole a bag of tobacco and left a bag with beers in the refrigerator.

The report says officers found Harder in a nearby home “hiding inside of a closet drinking a beer” that was “the same exact brand as the ones left in the burglarized house.” Officers also found the bag of tobacco and blood on the floor in addition to seeing cuts on Harder’s feet.

Harder has been charged with burglary. He is being held at North Central Regional Jail.

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