The Aberdeen Police Department was notified early Saturday morning by an employee monitoring cameras that a pair of individuals had broken into a building off of I Street in downtown Aberdeen.

Responding, reinforced by officers from Cosmopolis and the sheriff’s department, police located the suspects on the roof via drone, and were arrested there, said Cmdr. Steve Timmons of APD.

“My guess is they were there to steal some stuff,” Timmons said. “It’s been the target of a couple burglaries recently.”

The first officers were on the scene, located just around the corner from APD’s station, in under 90 seconds, Timmons said.

“Our drone operator got the drone up right away,” Timmons said.

As officers, including a K9 team from the sheriff’s office, the officer operating the drone located a pair of individuals on the roof of the building with the drone’s infrared camera.

“They’ve been complete game changers,” Timmons said of the drones. “We get the drone up right away, and get the overhead view. While the officers are getting set up, we can see if there’s anybody taking off.”

Officers moved to the roof and arrested both men, a 53-year-old and a 43-year-old, both Aberdeen residents, Timmons said. The suspects were arrested without incident, Timmons said — the risk of injury on a roof is ever-present.

“There always is when you’re up that high. You’re at the edge of the building,” Timmons said. “For the safety of them and the safety of our officers we’re glad they cooperated.”

The two men were taken to jail on charges of second-degree burglary. The 43-year-old man was also charged for possession of a controlled substance, Timmons said, as he was in possession of a substance that appeared to be methamphetamine.

Both men were set to be transported to the county jail on Monday.

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.