Frederick Delmonte

Adams Township police arrested and charged a Mars man for a burglary involving a neighbor woman's panties.

Frederick Delmonte, 67, was charged with felony burglary and felony trespass, related to an alleged break-in Sept. 6.

Following his arraignment Thursday by District Judge Kevin O'Donnell, Delmonte was placed in Butler County Prison on $50,000 bond.

According to charging documents, an investigation into the break-in led police to request a search warrant for Delmonte's home. Police said they were looking for clothes matching the description of those used by the alleged burglar, caught on security cameras inside the home.

Police said while searching Delmonte's home, they made a different discovery — a plastic grocery bag with women's panties inside.

“It was in a ball and twisted tightly in an attempt to make it air tight,” said the investigating officer.

Police said Delmonte also led them to clothing items he wore during the break-in, including a hat and shoes, but he made no mention of the panties.

“Delmonte was transported to the station,” police said. “He declined to talk about the incident or his problems.”

According to police, the woman, who lives in the same neighborhood as Delmonte, reported the incident to the neighborhood's security personnel Sept. 7.

Police said the woman initially reported that the man entered her apartment without permission while her 14-year-old son was home. She said she was at a neighbor's picnic within eyesight of their own unit, when her son called to tell her about the break-in.

“(The woman) checked her security camera, which is inside her residence and observed the male on video,” police said.

Police said the woman initially thought the man may have accidentally walked into the wrong residence.

However, the security officer felt differently, and noted in an incident report that this was not the first issue with Delmonte.

“When I saw the picture, I immediately identified the resident as Fred Delmonte and do not believe it was an accident based off of previous issues with him, among other things, entering suites after he watches female residents exit,” the security officer said.

The woman then gave a written statement Sept. 8 to police, despite not initially wanting to press charges.

“My 14-year-old son was home at the time and called me right away,” the woman said. “I returned as soon as my son called.”

The woman noted that at the time of the incident her front door was unlocked and her garage door was open. She said the camera took a clear video of the events that transpired in the home.

“I also had noticed approximately 1.5 to two years ago that I had some underwear missing, which is why I purchased the camera,” she said. “I have had nothing missing since that time and haven't seen anyone entering my residence that I know of.”

According to police, the video shows Delmonte enter the home and say something muffled to the cat, which darted into a bedroom. Police said the man then walked directly into the bedroom.

“It appeared that he was tiptoeing or trying to sneak as he walked,” police said.

Police said at the time, they believe the son's cell phone rang, and Delmonte crept closer to investigate. The suspect then ran out of the residence.

A preliminary hearing for Delmonte has been scheduled Tuesday before District Judge Wayne Seibel.