Suspect arrested after couple, in hospital with their newborn baby, records home break-in

Jeremy Epps and his wife, Esther, were at a hospital for the birth of their daughter when an alarm company informed them that someone was trying to break into their Modesto home.

Nine days later, police arrested one man and were looking for a second suspect in the attempted home burglary.

Modesto police arrested Darvel Eugene Blackwell, a 35-year-old Los Angeles-area man on parole who was recently allowed to move to Stanislaus County. Blackwell on Wednesday morning was in custody at the Stanislaus County Jail.

Home security camera footage led investigators to identify Blackwell as one of two suspects in the attempted burglary. Investigators have identified the other suspect, a 15-year-old boy. Modesto police did not release the teenage boy’s name or his description because he is a minor.

Epps on his Facebook page wrote that images of the attempted burglary suspects were captured on a Ring! doorbell camera. He and his wife were at the hospital with their daughter, who was 15 hours old when they were informed of the break-in.

Blackwell was arrested Tuesday morning on suspicion of attempted burglary, conspiracy and violating parole, Modesto police announced in a news release Wednesday.

The attempted home burglary occurred July 23.

Police said the suspects had stolen packages from the home’s front porch. The suspects also had kicked the front door to try to get into the house. The door was damaged, but it appeared the alarm prevented the burglary, according to police.

Epps wrote that a secondary alarm went off, and police showed up in seconds at the home, near Scenic Drive and Lakewood Avenue in east Modesto. The stolen packages had items the couple needed for their newborn daughter.

He also wrote that one of the suspects noticed the couple’s doorbell camera but still decided to steal the packages and try to break-in. Epps said a police review of the security camera footage shows one of the suspects asking the other, “Wanna go in?” Then, the other suspect answered, “Yeah.”

Modesto police Detective Ray Bennett, who investigated property crimes, distributed images of the suspects to local law enforcement officials. Modesto police Officer Matthew Ponce recognized one of the suspects as a minor he had spoken with recently.

Bennett then identified the underage suspect, along with Blackwell.

About 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Blackwell arrived at the Stanislaus County Probation Office to check in for his parole. Bennett was there waiting for him and took Blackwell into custody.

This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 9:30 AM with the headline "Suspect arrested after couple, in hospital with their newborn baby, records home break-in."