A safe stolen from a Montgomery Road business was forced open by the thief, thrown off a cliff and was forcibly opened by police after it was recovered. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
WESTFIELD – A scrap of insulation and an alert detective led to the apprehension of an apparent thief and the recovery of thousands of dollars stolen from a Southampton Road business.
The owner of the business called police Tuesday at 7:23 p.m. to report that his safe, which he reported contained $45,000 in cash, had been stolen.
Officer Sean Connor responded to the call and reports that the victim said that between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. his home was entered and, although there were no signs of forcible entry, the safe which he said weighs between 150 and 200 pounds was stolen.
Det. Daniel S. Gustafson went to the residence and reports that the door to the victim’s home, which is also the office of his business, had not been locked to accommodate workers and customers.
Gustafson reports that he found scratches on the floor and the victim showed him tire tracks behind his house in an area not usually used for vehicles because of the septic system beneath the surface.
Gustafson observed the tracks and photographed them to preserve the evidence but the telling evidence was found inside.
Gustafson observed small pieces of thermal insulation on the floor in the area where the missing safe had been and deduced that an attempt had been made to force the safe open where it was and that it had been removed only when the thief had been unable to break into it.
The victim told Gustafson that the cash had been his savings and he kept it on hand because he was hoping to purchase property and also because he pays his employees in cash from the safe.
The victim also told Gustafson that he knew that one of his employees was facing serious financial problems.
Gustafson was able to contact that employee who came to the station for an interview on Friday.
Det. Sgt. Stephen K. Dickinson, Gustafson’s supervisor, said that when the suspect came to the station he denied stealing the safe but, when asked, allowed Gustafson to examine his car which he had driven to the interview.
Gustafson looked at the car’s tires and found that the treads on the tires appeared to match the tracks found at the crime scene and asked for permission to examine the interior.
Once permission was granted, Gustafson searched the back seat and found, in a crevice between the seat and the body of the car, another scrap of insulation which appeared to match the insulation found where the safe had been stolen.
“He (had) cleaned the car and thought we wouldn’t find anything” Gustafson said but, despite the evidence of the tires and the insulation, the suspect continued to maintain his innocence and left the station.
Over the weekend, Dickinson said, “it was eating him up” and opined that the suspect “realized we had him” and that testing would connect the insulation found at the crime scene with that found in his car.
On Monday, the suspect called Gustafson and asked to come in to talk with him.
When the man came back to the station he brought with him more than $17,000 in cash which he surrendered when he confessed to stealing the safe. Dickinson said that the man admitted that he had “partied away five or six thousand (dollars)” and told police where he had dumped the safe, down a cliff next to General Knox Road just across the Russell town line.
Gustafson said that the safe was not as heavy as it was initially reported to be and said that one person could lift it. He said there is no reason to believe that anybody in addition to the suspect was involved in the theft.
Gustafson and Officer Joseph Stoyak found the safe at the bottom of the cliff and requested assistance from firefighters who responded and, working at the base of the cliff, pried the safe open.
Dickinson explained that the suspect had chiseled a small opening in the safe and reached in to grab what he could but dumped the safe believing that there was more money inside he could not get at.
“He only opened it partially. He reached in and grabbed everything he could” Dickinson said “and dumped the rest.”
But, Dickinson said, “There was nothing in it but money bands.”
Because of the difficult location, the safe was left in place Monday evening and inclement weather delayed the recovery until Thursday when a tow truck was used to winch the safe back to the top of the cliff.
Dickinson said that criminal complaints have been filed against the suspect for breaking and entering in the daytime with intent to commit a felony and for larceny from a building and he will be summoned to Westfield District Court to answer the charges.
