Dowagiac Police have arrested a suspect connected to a break-in from back in March. The break-in happened in the 400 block of East Railroad Street, where a homeowner called police when he discovered several items, including a motorcycle, had been stolen from his shed.

Dowagiac Police released the following information about the arrest:

The Dowagiac Police Department has made an arrest of a subject for a breaking and entering and stolen vehicle incident that occurred In March of 2019.

On March 27, 2019, at approximately 6:55 A.M., Dowagiac Police were dispatched to a residence in the 400 block of E. Railroad St.  Officers were advised that a shed on the property of the residence had been  broken into overnight and several items were stolen from the shed including a motorcycle.  Officers investigated and processed the scene for evidence. 

Dowagiac Police were contacted by a Detective with the Niles Police Department who advised that on the morning of March 27,2019, Niles Police stopped and arrested a subject on a warrant who was in possession of several pieces of property that he could not account for.  Officers were able to match the stolen property from E. Railroad St. with the property that the subject was in possession of. 

Dowagiac Police made contact with the suspect who admitted to breaking into the shed and stealing the property.  The suspect advised that he did so due to a severe addiction to meth and stole the property to purchase more meth.  The suspect eventually told officers where some of the property was stored and police recovered the property which was returned to the victim, including the motorcycle. 

Dowagiac Police submitted the investigation to the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office and a felony warrant was issued for the suspect for Breaking and Entering a Building with Intent and Unlawfully Driving Away a Motor Vehicle.  Dowagiac Police located the suspect on N. Lowe St. early Tuesday morning, April 30, 2019, and arrested him on the warrant.  The suspect was also arrested on two felony bench warrants for failing to appear for sentencing on two charges of larceny from motor vehicles that occurred in the fall of 2018. 

The suspect, James Robert File, 42 of Dowagiac, was lodged at the Cass County Jail on the above mentioned charges.  A bond of $30,000 cash/surety was set for the warrant and no bond was set for the failure to appear charges.