A suspected art thief who broke into Bard College Saturday morning, stole artwork, and fled on foot was apprehended by drones operated by members of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) unit a short time later. The burglar is now facing a felony burglary charge.

Deputies responded to the Bard campus just after 4:00 a.m. following a report of a burglary that had just occurred and a Dutchess County Sheriff's Office UAS unit was requested to assist in the search for the suspect.

The UAS units deployed drones equipped with a thermal imaging camera (TIC) and a spotlight. Once the artnapper was located hiding in a wooded area, the drone pilots directed the ground deputies to the suspect, and he was taken into custody.

Artnapper Artin Krasniqi of Red Hook was arrested and charged with felony burglary before being released with an appearance ticket for a future court date.

Detective Sergeant Adam Harris, who supervises the UAS team noted that the DCSO drones routinely respond to assist DCSO deputies and other agencies for a variety of emergencies, including fleeing felons. The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office UAS Unit routinely responds to assist the DCSO Patrol Bureau and numerous other agencies with various types of emergencies, including fleeing felons.