SHAWN M. OSKI
WESTFIELD – An alleged father and son burglary team apparently returned to the scene of their crime – four times – but were taken out of business Saturday when a waiting team of detectives caught them red handed stealing high-value metal bars from the yard of a precision manufacturing concern on Turnpike Industrial Road.
Det. Sgt. Scott Phelon reports in court documents that Shawn M. Oski, 42, of 99 Edgemont St., Springfield, and son, Michael Oski, 20, of the same address, were taken into custody on Saturday when they attempted to steal metal bars valued at about $10,000. Also arrested with them was a confederate, Hector M.Torres, 64, of 170 Central St., Springfield.
A team of detectives including Phelon, Brian Freeman, James Renaudette, Andrew Cekovsky and patrolman Gary Hagar had established surveillance, Phelon reports, after valuable metal bars had been stolen from Advance Manufacturing on three weekends in a row – April 12, 18 and 25 . Those thefts had been recorded on security video and on Saturday the detectives observed the suspects park their vehicle in the same place as in the previous thefts and steal the metal in the same way.
In the latest theft three suspects participated although in the first three incidents only two suspects were seen on video. Phelon reports that the value of the metal stolen in their first three thefts was about $100,000.
Phelon explained that the metals stolen were expensive special alloys and the bars were of various sizes weighing as much as several hundred pounds each. Receipts from a Connecticut scrap dealer were found in the suspect’s vehicle when they were arrested and Phelon said he learned that they had garnered about $13,000 from one sale of 7,500 pounds of metal. He said that were taking a few hundred pounds of metal to the scrap yard each week and getting more than $1,000 each time.
MICHAEL OSKI
On Saturday, the suspects climbed over the fence of the locked yard at Advance Manufacturing and used two hand trucks they brought with them to move the heavy metal bars to the fence.
In the previous thefts, the two suspects seen on video had pushed the bars under the fence before loading them into their vehicle but on Saturday they didn’t get that far before they were arrested.
However, Phelon explained, one of the men had allegedly stolen the same types of metal from the Advance Manufacturing yard previously. Phelon had charged Shawn Oski last year in August and he had been released pending trial in that case. He said that in that case a confederate had been working with Oski but he had been unable to identify the accomplice.
When arraigned in Westfield District Court Monday on four charges of larceny of property valued more than $1,200 and four charges of trespass, Judge William O’Grady allowed his release on $5,000 personal surety but also allowed a Commonwealth request that he be held pending a violation of probation hearing on June 8. Oski had been on probation due to an unrelated case in Agawam.
Michael Oski was arraigned on the same eight charges as his father and O’Grady allowed his release on his personal recognizance.
Torres was arraigned for only one charge of trespass and one of larceny of property valued more than $1,200 and was released by O’Grady on $5,000 personal surety.
All three men are scheduled for pre-trial conferences on June 8.
