MADISON - A Monroe man was arrested with the help of an aerial drone Sunday in Middleton for a gas station robbery.
Marquis M. Phiffer, 21, entered a BP gas station on University Avenue, implied he had a gun and fled in a vehicle with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to Middleton police.
The clerk gave police a description of the robber and his vehicle. Officers responding to the call spotted the vehicle and pursued.
The suspect crashed the vehicle into a parked car near a pond and fled on foot.
A Madison canine unit was brought to the scene but could not locate the suspect in the marsh surrounding the pond. Officers searching the area would have taken hours, said Capt. Troy Hellenbrand of the Middleton police department.
A Middleton firefighter monitoring police radio communications volunteered the use of its newly-acquired drone, Hellenbrand said.
"It didn't take very long," Hellenbrand said of the aerial search. "The suspect saw the drone flying overhead; I think he was shocked to see it."
Middleton Fire Chief Aaron Harris was "flying" the drone and needed just two short flights to locate a man lying among the cattails.
The drone is equipped with a video camera that sent wireless signals back to Harris and other officers at the scene.
"The drone was about 20 feet (above the ground) then dove over the top of him just above the height of the cattails ... I showed the video to the officers who drew their guns and went in (to arrest him)," Harris said.
Phiffer, also known as Marquis Mayo, was taken without a struggle and later booked into the Dane County jail on charges of robbery, operating a motor vehicle without owner's consent and an eluding an officer, Hellenbrand said.
Phiffer has a felony conviction in Green County Circuit Court for felony possession of THC (marijuana), a misdemeanor conviction in Dane County for fraudulent use of a credit card and a misdemeanor conviction in Green County for resisting an officer.
The fire department acquired the drone less than two weeks ago to assist in search and rescue missions and had just basic training on how to operate it, Harris said.
"We do four or five search and rescue missions per year with the Middleton Police Department but I never thought it would be put to use this quick in this type of situation," Harris said.
Knowing the fire department would be obtaining a drone this year, the police department developed a policy on using the drone that would protect the constitutional rights of residents while assisting the officers, Hellenbrand said.
Middleton Fire Department, one of the first departments in southern Wisconsin to acquire and use a drone, plans to obtain another this fall equipped with a thermal-imaging camera for use at fires, Harris said.
Marquis M. Phiffer, 21, entered a BP gas station on University Avenue, implied he had a gun and fled in a vehicle with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to Middleton police.
The clerk gave police a description of the robber and his vehicle. Officers responding to the call spotted the vehicle and pursued.
The suspect crashed the vehicle into a parked car near a pond and fled on foot.
A Madison canine unit was brought to the scene but could not locate the suspect in the marsh surrounding the pond. Officers searching the area would have taken hours, said Capt. Troy Hellenbrand of the Middleton police department.
A Middleton firefighter monitoring police radio communications volunteered the use of its newly-acquired drone, Hellenbrand said.
"It didn't take very long," Hellenbrand said of the aerial search. "The suspect saw the drone flying overhead; I think he was shocked to see it."
Middleton Fire Chief Aaron Harris was "flying" the drone and needed just two short flights to locate a man lying among the cattails.
The drone is equipped with a video camera that sent wireless signals back to Harris and other officers at the scene.
"The drone was about 20 feet (above the ground) then dove over the top of him just above the height of the cattails ... I showed the video to the officers who drew their guns and went in (to arrest him)," Harris said.
Phiffer, also known as Marquis Mayo, was taken without a struggle and later booked into the Dane County jail on charges of robbery, operating a motor vehicle without owner's consent and an eluding an officer, Hellenbrand said.
Phiffer has a felony conviction in Green County Circuit Court for felony possession of THC (marijuana), a misdemeanor conviction in Dane County for fraudulent use of a credit card and a misdemeanor conviction in Green County for resisting an officer.
The fire department acquired the drone less than two weeks ago to assist in search and rescue missions and had just basic training on how to operate it, Harris said.
"We do four or five search and rescue missions per year with the Middleton Police Department but I never thought it would be put to use this quick in this type of situation," Harris said.
Knowing the fire department would be obtaining a drone this year, the police department developed a policy on using the drone that would protect the constitutional rights of residents while assisting the officers, Hellenbrand said.
Middleton Fire Department, one of the first departments in southern Wisconsin to acquire and use a drone, plans to obtain another this fall equipped with a thermal-imaging camera for use at fires, Harris said.