By Tom Embrey

Senior Writer

Southern Pines police are still searching for a burglar they say jumped from a second-story window Wednesday morning when the homeowner returned.

Virginia Monroe, 35, left her home in the 300 block of Country Club Drive about 8:30 a.m. to run an errand. She returned home about 15 minutes later and noticed someone had forced entry, said Lt. Rodney Hardy, of the Southern Pines Police Department.

"She calls for her dog, and dials 911," Hardy said. "Then she hears a smash, goes around the house and sees him (suspect) running."

The suspect broke into the home from a first-floor side door and exited by jumping out a second-floor window in the back of the home, he said.

The suspect is described as a black male in his 20s, 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing between 215 and 225 pounds. He was wearing a black sweatshirt and gray pants.

He fled the scene heading east on Indiana Avenue and may have last been spotted on East Massachusetts Avenue and North Weymouth Road, according to police.

A police K-9 unit tracked the suspect a short distance, but then lost the trail, Hardy said.

There were no items listed as stolen from the home on the police report.

Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call the police department at (910) 693-4110. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the department's tip line at (910) 693-4110.

Contact Tom Embrey at tembrey@thepilot.com.