An alert off-duty Sylvania Township detective's action led recently to the arrest of two men driving a car with several items which had been stolen from vehicles in a parking lot near Monroe Street and Talmadge Road.

Chief Robert Boehme recounted the incident at a recent meeting of township trustees. He said Sgt. Robert Colwell was in his own car when he saw a suspect vehicle pull out of the parking lot and head west on Monroe Street.

The chief said both Toledo and township police were aware the car had been seen in areas where break-ins of vehicles had occurred. The sergeant kept his distance, but pulled into a gas station, after the car he was following. The driver used a credit card to get gasoline and then headed east on Monroe.

Sgt. Colwell called for a marked car to stop the vehicle and two patrol units were able to pull the suspect vehicle over in front of the Target store. The officers spotted a number of items in the back seat and at about that time the dispatchers' office was receiving phone calls from people who were reporting thefts from their vehicles.

"We had the suspects before the crimes were reported," the chief said.

The items in the suspect vehicle were identified by the victims and police arrested on various theft charges Charles Cliff, 29, and Lance Jackson, 28, both of Toledo.

Mr. Cliff was also charged with trafficking drugs for marijuana found in his car.

Chief Boehme praised the alertness and dedication of Sgt. Colwell and said it's his belief that all members of the department remain on duty at all times when it comes to enforcing the law.