Missouri Burglar Might Have Used Pet Doors

A man accused of burglarizing several Kansas City, Mo., homes was linked to the break-ins after he used pet doors to get into some of the homes, police said.

Authorities in Kansas City and its Kansas suburbs began working together after linking about 13 common burglaries since mid-January. Often, the burglaries occurred while the homeowners were nearby, police said, and the suspect tended to use a series of stolen vehicles to get between the crime scenes.

Raymond Keith Dorsey, 24, is jailed in Johnson County, Kan., on $250,000 bond, The Kansas City Star reported. He was charged Tuesday with aggravated burglary and felony theft of a motor vehicle.

After the burglaries began, Kansas City police detective Mike McClure recalled that several years earlier, he had interviewed a convicted burglar who had used pet doors to enter homes. An investigation revealed that the Kansas City man, with previous convictions for crimes that included burglary, had been released from the Missouri Department of Corrections on Jan. 18.

Soon afterward, cash, hand-held electronics and other items began disappearing from homes.

Officers began tailing Dorsey and arrested him Sunday as he left a Leawood, Kan., home. Authorities said a stolen sport utility vehicle was parked outside, and the keys had been taken from a Kansas City home’s kitchen while the owners watched TV 15 feet away.

“One of our undercover cars was sitting right in front of the driveway,” said Leawood Sgt. Scott Hansen. “The garage door opened and he came walking out.”

Dorsey’s burglary charge stems from that break-in and another that occurred the same day in Leawood.

Kansas City Detective Michael Helvie said police know of about 13 possible incidents, but others may have been victimized without realizing it.

Police on both sides of the state line said they expect additional charges to be filed.

Online court records said Dorsey indicated he planned to hire an attorney, but none is listed for him.