Burglar
busted
By CARL E. HARTDEGEN
Staff Writer
WESTFIELD – A city man suspected of a series of house breaks in the Franklin Street area was arrested and arraigned after he made the mistake of breaking into a neighbor’s home when the resident was at home sick in bed.
City detectives had been investigating at least four burglaries which started Feb. 14 and apparently were committed during daylight hours by the same thief.
In the four burglaries the thief gained entry forcibly, usually via windows, and stole mostly smaller property such as jewelry, cash and collectible items. Although two laptop computers and a video game system were stolen, other valuable items such as a computer and flat screen televisions were not taken.
The detectives were able to get a description of the suspect after a burglary Feb. 23 when a resident returned to his home in the afternoon and found an intruder in his bedroom, who had apparently gathered some of his possessions, which were on his bed.
When the resident asked the intruder what he was doing the man said he was “moving things around” and left calmly. The victim said that the man had walked unhurriedly on Franklin Street until the resident stopped following him in order to call police.
The case was investigated by Det. Anthony Tsatsos who got a break in the case on March 2 while talking with a neighborhood resident who told him of an incident she knew of on Belmont Street which had not been reported.
Tsatso spoke with a Belmont Street resident who said that he had been sick in bed almost all day on Feb. 23 and heard a noise about 3 p.m. which caused him to get out of bed moments before his door was forced open and he saw a neighbor, Jesus “Peto” Gonzales at the door.
The resident told Tsatsos that when he asked Gonzalez why he had broken his door the man laughed it off. He claimed that a relative of the resident had allowed him entry and he came up stairs to “hang out.”
The resident said that he thought it odd because, although he has known the man for ten years, he does not hang out with him.
The resident walked Gonzalez out and discovered that his relative who had allegedly let him in was not at home.
Tsatsos reports that when he sought Gonzalez at his Kellogg Street home his mother said that he had left Feb. 27 after an argument and she did not know where he was living.
Tsatsos applied for a criminal complaint and a warrant was issued for breaking and entering a building in the daytime with intent to commit a felony and for vandalizing property.
In documents filed with the court, Tsatsos reported that Gonzalez has a criminal record comprised of 87 entries for numerous charges including breaking and entering, larceny, and malicious destruction of property.
Tsatsos said that he found that Gonzalez had been arrested in December, 2011, on a warrant issued by Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown and was due there for a hearing within a few days.
Tsatsos contacted that court and advised officials of the new warrant. He asked that Gonzalez be held but said that, when Gonzalez was in court there, the judge released him on his promise to appear in the Westfield District Court.
Lt. William Sowa of the South Hadley Police Department said in a telephone interview that Gonzalez’s charges there stem from a 2004 case in which he is alleged to have broken into a building housing seven small businesses and stolen property. He said that Gonzalez was identified in that case by fingerprint evidence.
Sowa said that Gonzalez is facing seven counts of breaking and entering a building in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony and four counts of larceny of property valued more than $250 in the Belchertown court. Sowa said his trial is scheduled for May 23.
Gonzalez did appear in the Westfield Court on March 7 and, after he was arraigned, was held in lieu of $10,000 cash bail pending a May 4 hearing.
He was arraigned for the breaking and entering charge under Chapter 266 Section 18/B which provides for punishment by a term of not more than two years in jail and a fine of not more than $500.
The vandalism charge, under Chapter 266 Sect 126A, provides for punishment by a term of not more than two years in jail or a fine of not more than $1,500 or both. In addition, conviction requires the suspension for one year of the felon’s license to operate a motor vehicle.
Carl E. Hartdegen can be reached at carlhartdegen@ thewestfieldnews.com
