A 44-year-old Windsor man has been charged after police officers say they caught him breaking into a house on Pine Street while the homeowner was upstairs.

Members of the Windsor police Target Base Unit say they saw a man acting suspiciously around a house in the 300 block of Pine Street on Wednesday at 6:30p.m.

Officers believed he may be breaking into a residence and approached the property. They saw that the rear gate was ajar and the rear door of the house was slightly open.

Police say there was also fresh damage to the rear door and it appeared to have been forced open. Officers called out and the suspect pushed the door closed and ran down the stairs.

When the officers got down the stairs, they placed him under arrest after a brief struggle.

The officers learned that an 82-year-old female homeowner was upstairs at the time of the incident.

Investigators are working on connecting the suspect to other break and enters that occurred in the neighbourhood over the past few months.

The man is charged with break and enter, possessing break and enter tools and resisting arrest.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Windsor police at 519-255-6700 ext. 4350, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS), online at www.catchcrooks.com, orSubmit a Tip on Facebook.