Brentwood Resident, Police Sgt. Team Up to Stop Crime Spree

Brentwood resident Beth Clay did the right thing when she noticed a young woman pacing in front of her neighbor’s house. She notified Sgt. Jeff Manestar, who happened to be around the corner.

Clay’s observant eye, and Manestar's handing of the situation, led to the end of a suspected crime spree by a couple from the Kansas City area in Brentwood, Maplewood, Rock Hill and Webster Groves.

“I didn’t recognize her, and she sat down, paced back and forth,” Clay said. “I was waiting for her to leave, then all of a sudden I saw the male suspect, he had a backpack on his back, and the two of them walked down the street.

“Luckily Jeff Manestar was around the corner,” she said. “I flagged him down, and told him that I was very suspicious, so he followed them. Actually he had said earlier that he had noticed them in the neighborhood earlier, so he knew what I was talking about."

Manaster found the subjects and questioned them. They admitted to Manestar that they had just committed a burglary in the 2400 block of Bremerton.

They also had $19,000 of personal property on them.

Brentwood police chief Steve Disbennett recognized Clay and Manestar for their actions at the Brentwood Board of Aldermen meeting on Monday.

“Sgt. Manestar’s continuous pursuit of the facts produced results beyond the norm,” Disbennett said. “His desire to protect the city and its residents is evident in his professionalism.”

Disbennett said Clay was instrumental in solving the crime. “Her involvement is recognized as an important key to citizen awareness,” he said.

“They just didn’t fit in the neighborhood,” Clay said. “She had been out there for about 10 minutes pacing back and forth on my neighbor’s sidewalk. She looked very out of place.”

The pair from Kansas City have been charged but not convicted.

Read about the pair being charged for suspected crimes in the area.