Newark Victim: I Wanted To Smack Him In The Mouth

NEWARK, Ohio -- Newark residents have been on edge for weeks. Someone has been targeting the elderly and breaking into their homes in the middle of the night. After a weekend crime, though, police think there's a good chance the crime spree could be over.

NBC 4's Tacoma Newsome reported with the bottomline on a story NBC 4 has been following for weeks.

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David Ball, 44, of Newark was arrested Friday night. Ball was caught near a home in the 1500 block of Mount Vernon Road. He was being held Monday in the Licking County jail on $1 million bond.

Licking County sheriff's deputies, along with Newark police, responded to the address after a report of a home invasion.

Deputies said a utility line was cut and Ball allegedly confronted the elderly resident.

Neighbor Kelly Fries said he was at home late Friday when he heard a noise. It was the sound of a window being broken.

Newark police said that's how Ball got into the home of 87-year-old Dorothy Maddox.

"He rode a bicycle up, knocked a window out, went to the window, threatened her with a knife and wanted her money," neighbor Kelly Fries said. "At least they caught him. If it's the right one, it's the one that's been doing all this."

Ball fled the scene on bike but was found a short time later trying to hide under a van.

It was the same behavior pattern police described in five other recent home invasions.

NBC 4's Tacoma Newsome took a look at the history of the invasions.

The spree started Thursday, Nov. 13. There were two home invasions that day: One on Pierson Drive and the other on Meadowbrook Drive.

In one of those attacks, Myrtle Frazier said the suspect kicked down her door, stormed into her living room and ordered Frazier and her husband to the floor.

"He started yelling give me your money now. All your money. Now. Now. Now. I kind of wanted to smack him in the mouth," Frazier said.

Then the invasions started happening at a terrifying pace -- all to elderly residents.

The next one was at about 10:40 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22. A man kicked in the front door of another home on Meadowbrook Drive and ordered a sleeping elderly couple to the floor and stole property.

Two days later, on Wednesday, Nov. 24, a man forced entry into a home on the city's South End on Ridgefield Road, and again the victims were elderly.

There was an attempted robbery Tuesday, Nov. 25, on the city's North End.

While the first three attacks happened within half a mile of each other on the North End, the most recent cases weren't as close to one another location-wise.

The suspect description was a white man between ages 18 and 28 years old. He was between 5 feet 8 inches and 11 inches tall.

Ball's address on Hudson Avenue is central to of all the victim's homes and just 2 miles away from Maddox's address.

Ball was believed to have been acting alone. He faced aggravated burglary charges.

Newark's safety director only would say preliminary evidence indicated all of the crimes are connected to Ball.

Ball was arraigned Monday while investigators look into connections with the other area home invasions.

Officials would not confirm the invasions are related Monday afternoon.

But residents in Newark who NBC 4 spoke with were relieved to hear the person suspected of the crimes might have been jailed.

A Licking County judge set Ball's bond at $1 million Monday afternoon.

Ball only faced charges of aggravated burglary in Saturday's alleged Mount Vernon Road robbery.

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