A burglar was caught in the act and held for authorities, according to the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office.

Jose Esmael Perez, 27, Cartwright, was charged Thursday with second-degree burglary. According to a report by Deputy Arnold Bentley, Perez was captured Wednesday morning after Jerry Inman caught him leaving a house in the 100 block of Cedar Street in Cartwright.

Inman told Arnold he was checking on a relative’s house when he noticed a man later identified as Perez leaving a house across the street from there. Inman told the deputy he knew the property owner and was aware that no one should have been at the house.

Arnold arrested Perez and placed him the back seat of the patrol car and according to the report, Perez said, “Yeah, I screwed up.”

Upon questioning, Perez said a friend needed a door, so he volunteered to obtain one, the report stated. Perez said he was removing a door from the house when he heard a vehicle outside, so he began to leave until he was detained.

In other crimes, Edward Lee Stair, 50, Mead, was charged Thursday with malicious destruction of railroad property. Stair came under investigation after Special Agent Jeremy Grisha, who is a railroad police officer, learned that track wire had been stolen from a railroad location at West Texoma Road in Mead. An affidavit states that approximately 250 feet of wire had been stolen which caused a signal to shut down and as a result, two trains were delayed for an hour and half each.

The investigation revealed that a man later identified as Stair had been seen carrying a large roll of wire that matched the description of the stolen wire, the affidavit states.

On Jan. 19, sheriff’s deputies arrested Stair near the 700 block of Texoma Road and he was subsequently charged with methamphetamine possession. According to the affidavit, deputies found cutting tools and a sheet of paper from a recycling center in Denison, Texas.

The affidavit states that Agent Grisha went to the recycling business on Jan. 22 and found copper wire with insulation that was consistent with the stolen wire. Grisha then went to the sheriff’s office and Stair was brought from the jail to an interview room.

According to the affidavit, he admitted to stealing the wire and selling it in Denison.