A West Hartford resident found her door forced open, and a strange man in her bed.

By Ronni Newton

A West Hartford resident arrived home to not only find that her home had been burglarized, but also found the suspect lying in her bed.

West Hartford Police Lt. Dan Moffo said that a call was received Wednesday at 10:24 p.m. from a Fern Street homeowner who had returned home to find that the back door to her home had been forced open and damaged.

The resident, who is female, also noticed a “foul odor” when she entered the house, Moffo said.

She went upstairs to investigate, and saw a man lying in her bed, Moffo said. No one else was present in the house at the time, Moffo said.

According to Moffo, the woman fled the house and contacted police. Officers, including a K-9 team, arrived quickly.

Moffo said that officers established a perimeter, and were able to take the suspect into custody as he was attempting to leave the home through the back door.

The suspect was identified as Kenneth Brownlee, 47, of Camp Street in Meriden.

Brownlee was charged with first-degree burglary and second-degree criminal mischief. He was held on $25,000 surety bond.

According to Moffo, the burglary charge “is for the unlawful entry into/remaining in the residence.”

Moffo said that nothing appeared to be missing or out of place in the home, and the only apparent damage was to the door. If anything had been taken, there would have been a larceny charge, with the degree of that charge determined by the dollar value of the item taken, he said.

Brownlee had earlier in the week been the subject of a Silver Alert, but according to Meriden Police the alert had been cleared Wednesday afternoon after Brownlee had been located by Connecticut State Police Troop H.

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