(State Trooper Dan Eaton is always looking out for the welfare of his neighbors.)

Dan Eaton is never truly off the clock.

When his wife Kathleen noticed two people circling their South Street neighbor’s property, the off-duty state trooper went outside to confront the man and woman. “First thing I noticed was they had backpacks on and they were walking towards CVS,” said Eaton of that August 10 afternoon. He watched as they got into a parked car, with another woman in the driver’s seat. “They were such a distance away I went and got my truck. I pulled up behind them and boxed them in. If I were to be stopping them on the highway, I’d be checking them.”

Everything about the man and women’s behavior and appearance aroused his cop’s sixth sense. Eaton identified himself as a state trooper and after a brief exchange, asked for the trio’s identification, which they didn’t have. Minutes later, they fled, but not before Eaton got a description of the car, the plate number and phoned the information in to both the Duxbury Police and his colleagues at the Norwell Barracks.

While the Duxbury police responded to the property to investigate and informed local departments, the state police patrolled the highway. Within minutes, the three suspects were stopped by the state police on Route 3 South, near exit 6. According to Duxbury Police Chief Matthew Clancy, Eaton’s excellent police work and the combined efforts of various police agencies helped apprehend the three suspects wanted in multiple break-ins.

“The description of the brown vehicle was known to us as a suspicious vehicle in the area of other burglaries in town,” said Clancy. “The radio broadcast went out to neighboring departments and within 20 minutes, the state police stopped the car. It was occupied by two females and a male, all of whom were the subject of active arrest warrants.”

Following a search of the suspects’ car and interviews with all three, Clancy said evidence was uncovered linking them to previous break-ins in Duxbury and beyond.

“After locating what was described as a duffel bag filled with valuables, jewelry and silver, (Duxbury) Detective Dennis McKenney immediately recognized possible items stolen a couple of weeks backs from Duck Hill Road,” said Clancy. “Based on what was recovered and those interviews, we now believe the group is responsible for break-ins on Duck Hill and another on Winter Street, and that they’re responsible for one more. As a result of those interviews, we were able to recover other property from those two burglaries from a pawnshop and jewelry store in Wareham. We can tell you that the Middleboro Police Department has confirmed that some of that property is associated with at least one break-in in that town.”

Clancy credits the quick thinking of Kathleen Eaton and the good old-fashioned police work of Trooper Eaton and the Duxbury Police Department with catching the suspects in the alleged burglary ring. For Eaton, he’s just glad he was in the right place at the right time to help his neighbors.

“I’m watching,” said Eaton. “All the time. Always, it’s just in your blood you’re always paying attention.”