ARLINGTON — A 16-year-old Arlington boy was home caring for his 11-year-old brother on Monday, Oct. 15, when a stranger rang the doorbell around mid-morning.

Since the boys didn’t know the man, they didn’t answer, so the man at the door went around to the back of the house and kicked in that door.

The two boys fled to their parents’ master bathroom and called 911, while the burglar made his way through the house to the bathroom where the boys were hiding. When the burglar saw the boys, he fled the house, limping as he ran.

At least seven Snohomish County Sheriff’s deputies, two police chiefs, a precinct captain and a canine unit arrived in the area. Deputies and the canine unit tracked the suspect through knee-high wet grass and creeks before finally capturing him a quarter-mile away.

The two boys positively identified the suspect as the same man who confronted them in their parents’ bathroom, and deputies credited the boys with doing a good job by staying calm and contacting police.

The 36-year-old Arlington suspect with an artificial leg has been booked into the Snohomish County Jail.