In our post “Camp Missourinet: Day 3” on February 3 –the third day of our encampment at the office because of the blizzard– we noted:

“We check about twenty newspapers every morning. One thing we’ve noticed in the last couple of days is a dwindling amount of crime stories. Part of it might be that those of us in the reporting biz focus so much of our attention on weather at times like this. But, after all, that’s what all of us–reporters and normal people alike–are thinking and talking about. And why should criminals want to be out in this stuff any more than the rest of us?

“But we can almost guarantee you that sooner or later there will be a crime story something like this:

“Police in (fill in the blank) have arrested a man who stole (fill in the blank–probably a flat-screen TV since we’re so close to the Super Bowl) from a neighbor’s house. Detectives who made the arrest say they followed his footsteps in the snow to his home.”

This morning we were reading the Columbia Daily Tribune and came across this story:

Suspect leaves trail of footprints in snow

A 41-year-old man’s footprints in the snow led Columbia police to him early Sunday morning in relation to a burglary.

Officers were dispatched to 3607 Topanga Drive around 5:18 a.m. to a burglary in progress, said Columbia police spokeswoman Officer Latisha Stroer. Footprints in the snow led officers from the residence to a snow-covered man walking in the area of the burglary.

Glass consistent with a broken window at the scene was found on the suspect, as well as items in his possession.

Officers arrested Malcolmx L. Cunningham of 1109 Locust St., Apt. 4, on suspicion of first-degree burglary, second-degree property damage and stealing. He was charged with first-degree burglary, according to the Boone County Jail. He remains in jail with bond set at $25,000.