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Tuesday, March 04, 2008
GPS Thief Arrested by Police
A Lawrence man who police believe has been involved in the thefts of GPS units has been arrested by Andover police.
Morales Thursday, the suspect, was caught by the police after an employee at Woodard & Curran Engineering reported a GPS unit had been stolen from his car at 11:15 a.m. While it was parked at the New England Business Center off River Road,
Minutes before the theft, a co-worker saw a man lurking around the car, which then sped off in a brownish Toyota Camry. That co-worker was not only able to provide a description of the car to police, but a license plate number and a description of Morales, police said.
Lawrence police spotted the car in the driveway of 169 Willow St. in the city about an hour later. According to court documents, Morales was found on the second floor of the home, hiding in the closet. He was arrested, and police said they found the stolen GPS unit and burglary tools in the car.
Andover has been "plagued with numerous motor vehicle breaks in the past months," Andover police Sgt. William Ouellette, one of the arresting officers, wrote in his report.
"That vehicle has been seen in the area of a number of GPS thefts," Hashem said. "He's suspected of being involved in at least some of them." The thefts have happened all over town, Hashem said, and GPS units have been the favorite target. The navigational devices cost anywhere from $200 to $700 and are most often sold after they're stolen.
According to court documents, Morales is suspected in several vehicle breaks in Methuen as well.
Police said Morales wasn't even using his own car to steal the devices. The car belonged to his girlfriend, Emily Santiago, who "seemed surprised that Samuel was under suspicion and said she had no problem with police checking her vehicle," according to court documents.
Inside the car, police said they found a GPS unit and suction cup dash mount, a GPS bag, two socket wrenches wrapped together with duct tape and mesh material, a hammer and a small pry bar. They also found a radar detector.
A total of 54 cars in Andover have been broken into since Jan. 1, and the navigational devices were stolen from nearly all of them. But since Samuel Morales, 33, of 938 Essex St, was arrested Thursday, not a single car break or theft of a GPS unit has been reported in town, police said.They had been averaging more than one break-in a day, Andover police Lt. James Hashem said."We're not saying he's involved in all of them, but since this arrest on Thursday, we've not had one (break-in)," Hashem said.
Morales was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime, possession of burglary tools and malicious destruction of property. He was arraigned in Lawrence District Court Friday and remains held on $10,000 surety bail. He is scheduled to be in court for a pretrial hearing on March 18.
http://gps-navigation-watch.blogspot.com/2008/03/gps-thief-arrested-by-police.html
GPS Thief Arrested by Police
A Lawrence man who police believe has been involved in the thefts of GPS units has been arrested by Andover police.
Morales Thursday, the suspect, was caught by the police after an employee at Woodard & Curran Engineering reported a GPS unit had been stolen from his car at 11:15 a.m. While it was parked at the New England Business Center off River Road,
Minutes before the theft, a co-worker saw a man lurking around the car, which then sped off in a brownish Toyota Camry. That co-worker was not only able to provide a description of the car to police, but a license plate number and a description of Morales, police said.
Lawrence police spotted the car in the driveway of 169 Willow St. in the city about an hour later. According to court documents, Morales was found on the second floor of the home, hiding in the closet. He was arrested, and police said they found the stolen GPS unit and burglary tools in the car.
Andover has been "plagued with numerous motor vehicle breaks in the past months," Andover police Sgt. William Ouellette, one of the arresting officers, wrote in his report.
"That vehicle has been seen in the area of a number of GPS thefts," Hashem said. "He's suspected of being involved in at least some of them." The thefts have happened all over town, Hashem said, and GPS units have been the favorite target. The navigational devices cost anywhere from $200 to $700 and are most often sold after they're stolen.
According to court documents, Morales is suspected in several vehicle breaks in Methuen as well.
Police said Morales wasn't even using his own car to steal the devices. The car belonged to his girlfriend, Emily Santiago, who "seemed surprised that Samuel was under suspicion and said she had no problem with police checking her vehicle," according to court documents.
Inside the car, police said they found a GPS unit and suction cup dash mount, a GPS bag, two socket wrenches wrapped together with duct tape and mesh material, a hammer and a small pry bar. They also found a radar detector.
A total of 54 cars in Andover have been broken into since Jan. 1, and the navigational devices were stolen from nearly all of them. But since Samuel Morales, 33, of 938 Essex St, was arrested Thursday, not a single car break or theft of a GPS unit has been reported in town, police said.They had been averaging more than one break-in a day, Andover police Lt. James Hashem said."We're not saying he's involved in all of them, but since this arrest on Thursday, we've not had one (break-in)," Hashem said.
Morales was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime, possession of burglary tools and malicious destruction of property. He was arraigned in Lawrence District Court Friday and remains held on $10,000 surety bail. He is scheduled to be in court for a pretrial hearing on March 18.
http://gps-navigation-watch.blogspot.com/2008/03/gps-thief-arrested-by-police.html
