False alarm puts Sugar Loaf area of Collinsville on alert; no burglars in home

Police temporarily cordoned off part of a Collinsville neighborhood after a man reported there were burglars in his house, but there is no sign of any home invasion, police said.

At about 9 a.m., Collinsville Police were summoned to a home in the 5500 block of Sugar Loaf Road after a homeowner arrived to his house and reported that there were multiple burglars inside his home. Police from multiple departments converged to set up a perimeter and called in the county’s tactical team in what was presumed to be a standoff with one or more subjects.

Tactical police officers were seen with weapons drawn down a gravel road off the 5500 block of Sugar Loaf Road in the early afternoon.

There was an initial report that a shot had been fired. But Major Brett Boerm of the Collinsville Police Department said the tactical unit confirmed later in the afternoon that there had never been anyone inside the house and no shots were fired.

“We are confident that there was no one inside the residence,” Boerm said. “We believe no residents were in any danger at any time.”

The rural Collinsville neighborhood consists of high-end residential properties. Police presence was centered on a property with a for-sale sign at the end of a long driveway, set far back from the road.

Boerm said police believe the resident may suffer from “some sort of mental illness or drug-induced psychosis.” When asked whether any charges would be filed, he said it was still under investigation, but was unlikely. Instead, he said, they will be pursuing the mental health angle.

The resident’s name was not released by police.

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 12:28 PM with the headline "False alarm puts Sugar Loaf area of Collinsville on alert; no burglars in home."