The Dutchess County Sheriff’s office used a drone to identify a man they said stole art from Bard College early Saturday (photo by Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office).

The Sheriff’s drone unit used heat mapping to trap an art thief near Bard College early Saturday morning (photo courtesy Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office).A Red Hook man who broke into a building at Bard College and stole artwork was arrested just after 4 a.m. Saturday when a drone and fast footwork by the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office trapped him in the act.

The Sheriff’s Office Unmanned Aeriel System or drone unit was summoned to the scene after a 911 report, police said. While conducting an aerial search of a wooded spot police did not identify, the purported thief, Artin Krasniqi, was located.
 
UAS Unit pilots advised deputy sheriffs on the ground of the suspect’s location, and the suspect was quickly taken into custody, the sheriff’s office reported on Facebook.

In this drone heat map, the police officer, at left in red, approaches the suspect at the center, also in red (image from Sheriff’s Office drone footage).

A Sheriff’s Office video of the takedown, annotated by Mid-Hudson News, shows the man moving slowly as police approach from the left to arrest him. Police used a high-beam flashlight from overhead, attached to the drone, and strong flashlights carried by an officer on the ground.

This case was turned over to the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau, resulting in a single count of burglary in the third degree, a Class D felony punishable by up to 7 years in prison. As required by law, the suspect was released with an appearance ticket, police said.
 
The drone unit routinely responds to assist the Sheriff’s Patrol Bureau and numerous other agencies with various types of emergencies, including fleeing felons, police said.
 
The K9 dog unit and Detective Bureau assisted with the arrest. It was not clear what building was breached, what artwork was stolen, or where the arrest took place.

The post The Art Heist and The Drone: Dutchess Sheriff’s Office Traps a Red Hook Man Stealing Art from Bard first appeared on The Daily Catch.