OROVILLE – An Oroville man, suspected of breaking into an occupied Oroville home in the 400 block of Main Street last week was arrested when a search of his vehicle revealed he had property stolen from the home in his possession.

On Wednesday, Nov. 20, Dale Lee Bigelow, 32, was pulled over by an agent of the U.S. Border Patrol at the intersection of the Balmes and Chesaw Roads. The agent had responded to a report of trespassing and a man brandishing a firearm on Balmes Road. The agent held Bigelow at the scene until an Okanogan County Sheriff’s Deputy could arrive.

“Since they had a report of a firearm, the deputy asked to look in Bigelow’s vehicle to verify there was no weapon. In the search he spotted an iPad and a Kindle Fire in a backpack that were listed as stolen from the Oroville home,” said Oroville Police Chief Todd Hill. “The suspect was then taken into custody and is in the county jail.”

Bigelow has been charged with possession of stolen property in the third degree.

While there have been burglaries in the Oroville area, Chief Hills says that vehicle prowls have really been on the increase.

“We’ve had a number of vehicle prowls recently that have been of concern,” said Chief Hill. “We arrested another person and thought that might put a stop to them, but it hasn’t. However, we haven’t had any new reports of vehicle prowls since this suspect was arrested.”