John W. Thoma

Butler police early Friday morning arrested a wanted man who tried to make a rooftop getaway at a city apartment.

Police said John Wayne Thoma, 30, of Center Township was attempting to flee officers about 1:45 a.m. when he was nabbed after jumping between two roofs in the 400 block of South Washington Street.

Police said they later found a crack pipe Thoma left behind atop one of the roofs. They also report finding him with crack and other suspected drug contraband.

He was eventually placed in the Butler County Prison — two blocks down the same road where he was captured.

Police had been looking for Thoma since April 3 when they got a felony warrant for arrest in connection with the break-in of an apartment in the 500 block of North Washington Street.

The defendant is accused in that case of stealing video game consoles and other property, according to court documents.

A call Friday led officers to Thoma's whereabouts. But when police got to the two-story apartment, their target tried to make a brazen escape.

One of the officers spotted him make a run for it, up and onto the roof, police said. A short time later, he called out to the officers, “I'm coming down. Don't shoot,” documents said.

Instead, police said, he ran toward the back of the roof. Officers briefly lost sight of him. When they spotted him again, he was on a neighboring roof.

The drama played out with officers shouting to Thoma, “Show you hands.” In turn, documents said, the defendant replied, “Don't shoot.”

Following some back-and-forth, the drama ended with Thoma's surrender. Police later found a plastic baggie on him containing several pieces of suspected crack cocaine, documents said.

While arresting the suspect, officers noticed a back pack on the roof near where he had jumped. He admitted it belonged to him.

A search of the back pack turned up an empty stamp bag of suspected heroin, two syringes a drug-cooking spoon and other contraband.

The Butler Fire Department was also called in to help with a ladder to search one of the roofs, where police found a crack pipe.

District Judge Kevin O'Donnell arraigned Thoma on his latest charges — resisting arrest, and possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

The defendant also was arraigned on the warrant charges — burglary and theft.

He is in the county prison on $15,000 bail.