Recently in Stolen Stuff Category

I went home just before the fun started Sunday morning.

I worked until Midnight Saturday, and headed home, but I just heard from a resident at 27 Jackson St., Thomas Vachon, that not long after midnight a resident scared off a kid who was casing cars in the parking lot out front.

Police were called, but with the suspect already gone, that's not exactly a priority call. Before officers arrived the suspect was back, and he smashed the window on Vachon's car, and another car.
The kid made off with a GPS unit and a camera from Vachon's car.

This time police did make a priority response, and Vachon said they were there within seconds. Fast enough that the kid had to climb a tree to get over a fence separating the parking lot from the canal.

Unfortunately for Vachon, the kid plunged right into the canal with the GPS unit, which is probably resting rather uncomfortably at the bottom now. His camera was recovered right on the edge of the canal, and is safe.
He's out about $150 for the GPS and $150 for the window, though.

The fire department came and fished the bad guy out of the water, only to learn that he was in fact a mere 14-year-old boy.

Police confirmed Vachon's account and said the kid was charged with breaking and entering motor vehicle, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. He was released to his parents later in the morning.

Vachon heard the kid had done this type of thing before.

"It sucks," he said. "I'm more annoyed that he's 14, and this isn't his first time."

Vachon got me some video of the kid taken from a local surveillance camera, but I'm going to have to upload it once I'm home tonight, or tomorrow once the video people here at The Sun are back.
My powerbook just doesn't want to open it correctly.

Someone steals a Chevrolet Jimmy while it's owner is pumping gas at Xtra Mart on Gorham Street, and then drives it into a gas pump, knocking the gas pump completely over.

That wouldn't have impressed me a lot, but then the owner of the Jimmy jumped in the passenger seat, and began to fight with the thief, who was still driving, as the thief hit two other cars and drove down Gorham Street and onto the Lowell Connector, all while fighting with the owner.

That must have been a hell of a site to see it all unfold.

The SUV eventually stopped just after getting on the connector, in the weeds off in the breakdown lane, and that's where this guy was placed under arrest. He's being treated by EMT's here, and was taken to Lowell General Hospital to get checked out.

The ID I got last night was wrong, the suspect is Jason M. Cucinotti of 2 Duris Ave., Billerica.

He is charged with carjacking, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (motor vehicle), operating after revocation, operating to endanger, and malicious destruction of property over $250. He was also arrested on two default warrants.

The carjacking charge surprised me since the owner wasn't in the driver's seat, but police suggested that since the owner was pumping gas he was still in possession or control of the vehicle, which would make it more than just car theft.

Here's a perplexing one from police in Salem, N.H.

Apparently, Salem Police found out on Tuesday that a table containing about $3,500 worth of clothing from the J.Crew store at the Mall at Rockingham Park had been cleared off by thieves.

Quite a haul, but what makes the story interesting is that police say store employees saw two females committing the theft, but called corporate headquarters instead of police, per company policy.
"They were unable to get permission to contact police until the next day," according to Salem Capt. Shawn Patten.

"We continue to be preplexed by the policies of some retailers with regards to notifying and cooperating with authorities when thefts occur in their retail store."

Oh and guess what? Police have no suspects or leads at this time.

I mean, seriously? J.Crew thinks some corporate security stooge is really going to take care of their junk better than police?
Or that it's better to wait 24 hours before investigating a snatch and grab robbery?

I'm not sure I'd buy a ton of clothes from a company with that kind of brainpower. Although, who knows, maybe The Sun will be hit with more layoffs, and if I'm down on my luck I'll know where to "shop."

I ran into this same thing last year when I saw an armed robber running out of Store 24 on Bridge Street.
I walked in just as the guy fled and the clerk was on the telephone, so I didn't call 911 myself cause I didn't want to tie up the 911 operator with two telephone calls.

Instead, I called the Main Desk, and gave a brief description of the guy I saw.

The main desk had heard nothing of this robbery, and I would eventually learn that the clerk had not been on the telephone with 911. He called the store's owner before police.

Frankly, I wonder whether police should be able to just immediately write off such incidents.

Why should police resources be wasted investigating crimes against a company with policies that drastically reduce the possibility of solving the crimes?

Here's an idea. If you're going to rob a guy in the heart of downtown, say at about 10 p.m., on a Tuesday night, at Market and Central streets, maybe don't wear bright red pants while doing it.

Because I'm willing to bet those pants didn't exactly help the cause of the 16-year-old kid who got arrested for just such a robbery tonight.

Police say he and another boy, who got away, pushed and robbed an unidentified man at Central and Market streets, making off with his cellular telephone.

The 16-year-old still had the phone on him when Officer Billy Finn spotted him at Union and Chapel streets a short time later.

He'll be charged with unarmed robbery.

This was a real battle of intelligence, starting at 11:15 p.m., in Lowell.

An 18-year-old Tewksbury woman left her Honda running as it sat at the Getty Mart on Chelmsford Street in Lowell.

The car, surprisingly, was stolen, but the owner saw it being driven away, and a taxi followed it to Highland Street, near Parker Street, where police caught up with it, and arrested Thomas Lopes, 32, of Lowell.

Here's Lopes explaining his masterful criminal theory to detectives Steve Alexander and Chris Kelly.

Lopes was charged with larceny of a motor vehicle, and driving with a suspended license. The car's owner, who was at the scene, called him a "piece of" you guess the third word, and informed him that she hopes he crashes into a tree and dies next time he steals a car.

She drove from the scene while honking her horn, at 11:30 or so, in a residential neighborhood. I think she came pretty close to getting herself pulled over and cited by the officers who had just helped her out.

Are there any winners in this one?

UPDATE: I've gotta add to this and make it a bit of learning experience, because right after I posted this entry, what happened?

I headed home from work, and stopped at Tedeschi at Bridge and West Sixth in Lowell, where a perfectly nice looking girl pulled into the parking lot ahead of me and left her pretty new-looking SUV running while she headed into the store.

So, if you know a young blonde girl who drives a gray, newer-model Ford SUV with a Dracut High School sticker on the back, point out this entry to her, and tell her not to leave her car running next time she's in Lowell.

I'm a little quiet in person, so I didn't mention it. I don't talk to strangers at 12:30 a.m., in Lower Centralville, much less leave my car running.

Joseph Kitchen, 26, of Lowell, put up a hell of a fight late Sunday night, assaulting police officers and even fled onto the roof of a South Lowell pizza joint in a failed attempt at getting away from police.

I posted about this briefly last night, but I'm editing this entry to fill in all the details.

Police first went after Kitchen about 10 p.m., when they were called to 57 Anderson St., for a report of a guy breaking into a car. Witnesses described the man as a white male, 6 feet tall, 140 to 150 pounds, with a white hat, white tank top, shorts and tattoos on both arms.

An initial search, which included a canine, got nowhere, but about 11:20 p.m., Car 9 stopped a man fitting the description near Lawrence and Moore streets. He had put a T-shirt on over the white tank top, but the officers still spotted him.

That is when Kitchen was identified, but long before he gave up.

While officers were talking to Kitchen, he took off runing toward the train tracks that run behind Tedeschi's, police say. He made it about 100 yards before taking a header.

Undeterred by clumsiness, Kitchen fought with officers when they caught up to him, broke free, and, oddly, climed onto the roof at Trolley Stop Pizza, at Gorham and Moore streets, according to police.

Officers followed Kitchen onto the roof, where he continued to fight, police said.

Eventually, he was handcuffed and taken down from the roof. Left behind were jewelry, cash, GPS units, a portable DVD player, and a screwdriver, police said.

Everything but the screwdriver is being checked out, and is considered stolen by police.

Kitchen was arraigned today for breaking and entering motor vehicle, receiving stolen property over $250, assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and possession of burglary tools.

I'm not sure if he was bailed, but I'm waiting for a call back from the DA's office to find out. I'm going to go ahead and guess that he was, just because that's how things go sometimes.

Keep your eyes skyward if this guy makes bail. Maybe spiderman will strike again.

UPDATE: Too bad no one was taking bets today. Kitchen was released on personal recognizance, but ordered into a drug rehabilitation program by Judge Jeffrey Packard.

Is this guy extremely short, or did he try to duck the booking photo?

He's Richard Noel, 43, of Manchester, N.H., who police say was arrested for theft by unauthorized taking after he was caught shoplifting at JC Penney, 310 Daniel Webster Highway in Nashua.
Police say he was caught leaving the store without paying for several dresses.

This one is terrific on several levels.

Noel faces up to 7 years in prison since police say he had prior theft convictions.