Salem Police have arrested a 54-year-old Salem man for residential burglary following a series of unusual incidents on Wednesday.
Police report Michael Thompson of State Route 37 had come to the Salem Police station to report a home on East Olive Street had been burglarized before any burglary had been reported. When the homeowner returned later in the morning, they reported the burglary. The home had reportedly been ransacked and vandalized.
At that point, police went searching for Thompson and he was located in the Salem IGA parking lot. After questioning, Thompson was arrested for the burglary he had first reported a few hours earlier.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Department reports Thompson had also come to the jail shortly after six Wednesday morning carrying a hammer and reporting he was being chased by people with a chainsaw. Deputies took the hammer away from Thompson who then left the department without any indication of anyone chasing him.
Thompson was later taken back to the jail by Salem Police as a prisoner as a result of the residential burglary arrest.
