A suspect’s attempts to avoid police prompted a shelter in place order for the borough, extending into the night and ending with an arrest of the suspect found in a drain pipe very near a middle school.

Shane Richard Lake, 30, was taken into custody and, unable to post bail, confined to Lehigh County Jail as of Jan. 28, according to court documents.

In a telephone interview Jan. 29, Sgt. Travis Kocher, an officer with Macungie Police for more than 23 years and the officer in charge for the department, said shelter in place orders are not out of the ordinary for the borough, however, the Jan. 27 order was the longest he can recall.

“Public safety is always our main priority here,” he said.

Kocher outlined the situation as follows:

Late in the afternoon of Jan. 27, a woman came to the Macungie Police station with “obvious physical injuries” where she was helped by police and then transported to a hospital.

Three Macungie officers then went to the woman’s apartment in the unit block of East Main Street as part of the investigation.

The suspect allegedly was coming out of the apartment, spotted police and “retreated back inside and barricaded himself” in the apartment, Kocher said.

The suspect was next spotted on a second floor roof. He allegedly jumped to the ground, clearing an 8-foot fence and fleeing.

Kocher issued a shelter in place order for the borough and called in assisting law enforcement for a search perimeter.

Officers from Alburtis and Emmaus boroughs, Upper Macungie and Salisbury township police departments and troopers from Pennsylvania State Police Fogelsville joined Macungie police officers in the effort. A drone team also helped in the search.

The perimeter moved as the suspect did, however, he did not escape the perimeter, Kocher said.

The suspect was found in a section of drainage pipe ending in a retention pond at Eyer Middle School, Kocher said.

Lake was taken into custody on a warrant for burglary issued by the Salisbury Township Jan. 1, according to court documents and confirmed by a police department spokesperson.

Charges against Lake in the Jan. 1 incident include burglary and criminal trespass, both felonies and theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, both misdemeanors, according to court documents.

Kocher described the man as “known” to the department and having warrants issued against him from various law enforcement agencies in addition to the warrant from Salisbury police on which he was taken into custody.

The proximity to Eyer Middle School where an event was in progress kept attendees inside the school.

The shelter in place order was lifted late Jan. 27.

The suspect was taken into custody at approximately 11 p.m., Kocher said.

Evidence collection and further investigation were being conducted Jan. 29, Kocher said.