Capt. Michael McCabe of the Westfield police department speaks at an impromptu press conference in his office yesterday to announce the apprehension of a male suspect caught in the act of breaking into a house in the Devon Manor neighborhood of the city. (Photo by chief photographer Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – City police announced yesterday the arrest of a man apprehended in the act of breaking and entering a house on Devon Terrace. He may also be connected to a spate of breaks police have been investigating since late December.
Police report that a Devon Terrace resident, who identified himself as an off-duty law enforcement officer from a nearby community, called police at 10:05 a.m. and reported that he had observed a male party walking on his street who went on to a neighbor’s property, looked into his garage, and then walked out of sight behind the house.
Officer John Barnachez was the first Westfield officer to arrive and reports that he followed footprints in the snow to the rear of the house, where he discovered the off-duty officer holding a man, later identified as Christopher Moll, 45, to the ground.
Barnachez reports he took control of the suspect and searched him for weapons before Sgt. Edward Murphy and officers David Racicot and Michael Ruffo arrived to assist.
Barnachez reports that the off-duty officer said that he had seen the man near his neighbor’s house and his suspicions were aroused because he knows his neighbors and knew that they were not at home. He said that he also knows that there have been a number of recent break-ins to houses in the city so, after reporting what he had seen to city police, he followed the man.
The resident said that when he followed the tracks to the rear of his neighbor’s house he saw the suspect lying on his back attempting to push the window out of its frame so he pulled the man away and, identifying himself as a police officer, detained him until city officers arrived.
He said that the suspect did not offer significant resistance.
With Moll in custody, Barnachez and Ruffo followed footprints in the snow to a nearby house where a cellar window was found to have been pushed from its frame.
Detectives Anthony Tsatsos and Todd Edwards arrived a short time later and spoke with a neighbor who, when she was unable to contact the resident by phone, provided a key to the house to the detectives, who investigated and found no additional suspects in the house.
Tsatsos reports that he and Edwards found that a locked door had blocked access to the upper floors of the house and the resident subsequently reported that nothing had been stolen from the basement.
Moll was transported to the station for booking and arrested for breaking and entering a building in the daytime with intent to commit a felony and for attempted breaking and entering a building in the daytime with intent to commit a felony.
He was also found to be the subject of a warrant issued by Chicopee District Court and was also arrested on the warrant.
During booking, Moll provided an address in Connecticut that Tsatsos investigated. He reports that the address is that of Moll’s father who said that, not only does his son not live there with him, he is not allowed in his home. He said that he has not seen his son for years and does not know where he lives.
At an impromptu press conference in his office shortly after Moll’s arrest, Capt. Michael McCabe said, “We believe he’s (living) across the river in Chicopee.”
Det. Sgt. Stephen K. Dickinson, the lead investigator into the recent series of house breaks, said later that he found that Moll had been living in Chicopee until August of last year.
Dickinson had an appointment to speak with a Chicopee woman believed to be Moll’s girlfriend and said he hopes to learn from her where the man has been living.
McCabe said that the investigation into the Moll’s activities has just begun but there may be a link between today’s crime and other recent housebreaks.
“We can’t link him” to previous crimes, McCabe said, but added, “we suspect we will be able to link him shortly.”
“We’re still in the process of collecting evidence and hopefully the evidence will match the evidence that we have from the other breaks and we’ll take it from there.”
Dickinson and other city detectives are working to make those links and Dickinson said that there are similarities between the Devon Terrace incident and other break-ins, such as four on Springdale Road and one each on Bailey Drive, Miller Street and Holland Avenue.
He said that, while it is not known exactly when the crimes occurred in some of those incidents, several are known to have been committed during the daytime and that entry was made via cellar windows.
“A cellar window is not a common entry (method) into a home” by intruders he said.
McCabe said that the public can help with the investigation because, although the suspect was found, a vehicle associated with him was not located.
McCabe said “It would be odd to be in Devon Manor without a car” so police are interested in learning of any “stranded” cars seen in the area.
He said that the car could be hidden amongst the cars parked at the nearby Walmart store or at a car dealership on Springfield Road.
McCabe said that he expects the suspect’s car will bear Connecticut plates.
He said that West Springfield police have reported similar crimes and have advised Westfield police to be watchful for a small gray car with Connecticut registration plates.
Moll’s bail was set by court officials at $2,500 and he was held at the Westfield Police Department when he did not post the cash bond.
He is expected to be arraigned today in Westfield District Court.
