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Couple honored for stopping break-in at neighbor’s home

Posted at 10:39 PM, Aug 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-07 22:39:37-04

EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A couple in East Grand Rapids was honored Monday night after stopping a break-in at a neighbor's home.

Daniel Mehney says he believes he and his wife Brooke were "in the right place at the right time."  They say they were just trying to be good neighbors.

In June, Daniel and Brooke were on their way home when they say they spotted three young men go into a garage near their house. They said they knew something wasn't right.

"We just saw a bunch of boys eyeballing the garage and so we just kept an eye on them and took action," Daniel said.

"They quickly called their neighbor on the phone and that individual was able to get those individuals out of their garage," said East Grand Rapids Police Chief Mark Herald. "Mr. and Mrs. Mehney were able to chase the boys in their car and then on foot and because of their swift actions, they were able to apprehend one of the individuals."

Police were also able to recover stolen property.

Chief Herald says the Mehneys took an appropriate risk and went the extra mile that day.

"Had they not done that, this would have gone down as an unsolved crime," he said.

Because they helped solve that crime, the couple was awarded the Chief's Citation Award during Monday's City Commission meeting.

"I think we're just doing our civic duty," Daniel said.

Chief Herald begs to differ, saying the couple is the perfect example of what it means to do the right thing if something feels suspicious.