By Jim Clark

Somerville police officers responded to a reported breaking and entering in progress at a Morrison Ave. residence last week.

As officers arrived at the residence, officers reportedly observed a man climbing down from the back porch of an upper story unit down to the back porch of the ground floor unit.

The officers detained the man, identified as George Panogopoulos, 30, of Milton, and asked what he was doing there. Panogopoulos reportedly told the officers that his friend “John” lived at the residence. When asked for the last name of his friend he reportedly told police that he did not know it.

Officers then went to the upper level to investigate and reportedly found evidence that the back porch door to the upper unit had been tampered with, with visible damage to the door and its frame in evidence.

As the reporting party had told police that Panogopoulos was seen with a tool of some sort, police called the witness and asked what had become of the tool. The witness reportedly told police that Panogopoulos threw a screwdriver into an adjoining neighbor’s yard as police arrived.

A search of the neighbor’s yard turned up the screwdriver.

Panogopoulos was placed under arrest and charged with possession of a burglarious instrument and felony daytime breaking and entering.