Dubuque Police Arrest Naked Intruder

by Katie Wiedemann, Reporter

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By Katie Wiedemann

Story Created: Jan 25, 2008 at 5:29 PM CST

Story Updated: Jan 25, 2008 at 10:44 PM CST

(DUBUQUE)--It was a strange Wednesday afternoon for one Dubuque man. Not only did he find an intruder in his home, but the man wasn't wearing any clothes!
The strange situation happened on East 32nd Street. Tom Ehlers took his dog for a walk when he came back he found a stranger inside, naked.
Like a scene from the old television show, "Lassie", Ehlers's dog, Tony, alerted him that something was wrong.
Ehlers said, "When I came home he (Tony) was acting funny."
Ehlers looked up his stairwell and spotted, 18-year-old Benjamin Burke, in the buff.
Ehlers said, "I just shouted,' what are you doing in my house?’"
Ehlers said Burke seemed incoherent so Ehlers immediately called 9-1-1.
Ehlers said, "I said there's a guy in my house that I don't know, naked. And I said, ‘you’ve got to get here fast.’"
Police say they arrested Burke on outstanding warrants. They also found a bag of marijuana near his clothes. Ehlers says the whole thing was weird, but he never felt scared.
Ehlers said, "As soon as I saw he didn't have any clothes on I felt pretty confident, I knew he didn't have a weapon on him."
Police say Burke appeared in court Thursday morning. His bond was set for three thousand dollars and was sentenced to 15 days in jail. According to the Dubuque County Jail, Burke posted bond Friday afternoon for the new charges. He'll serve 15 days for the earlier warrant at a later time.
TV-9 tried to contact Burke but was unable to reach him.

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