WESTFIELD – A man who allegedly wanted to return a stolen iPad led police officers from Westfield and West Springfield on a long foot pursuit.
It all began when an East Mountain Road resident contacted police at 10:09 a.m. on Saturday, December 19, to report that his vehicle had been broken into overnight and his iPad had been taken.
Earlier this week, more than three weeks after the breaking and entering, a man contacted the victim “out of the blue” to say he had the victim’s iPad and wanted to return it to him, according to Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe.
The man allegedly said that he had bought the iPad from a guy in Springfield, McCabe said.
The victim called police to say that he had arranged to meet the party, so Det. Richard Mazza posed as the victim and met up with Mikhail M. Stepanchuk at Walmart, located at 141 Springfield Road, to retrieve the iPad around 6 p.m. Wednesday evening, according to McCabe and police logs.
McCabe said that instead of handing over the iPad, Stepanchuk demanded $40 from the “victim,” i.e. Mazza.
“When it appeared that things were going to turn violent” as Mazza refused to hand over $40, the detective then identified himself, McCabe said.
Mazza wrote in his report: “During my interaction with Mikhail, he continued to block my path to leave and demanded $40 from me.”
“Once I identified myself and my Sergeant as Police Officers and advised Mikhail he was under arrest, he ran through a parking lot, across a busy State Highway and into West Springfield towards his parent’s house, a few miles away,” Mazza wrote.
Part of the pursuit took place along the CSX tracks that run along Springfield Road.
West Springfield police officers joined Westfield police officers at approximately 6:45 p.m. as they tracked Stepanchuk.
The suspect was finally found at around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night at his parent’s home, located at 137 Great Plains Road in West Springfield, but before he could be arrested, he again ran into the woods and was apprehended about a half mile away, according to Mazza.
He was booked at the West Springfield Police Department and transported back to Westfield until his Thursday arraignment.
Stepanchuk, 27, was arrested on charges of receiving stolen property over $250, resisting arrest and attempt to commit a crime (unarmed robbery), according to police logs.
When Stepanchuk was arraigned in Westfield District Court on Thursday, he was held in lieu of $500 cash.
Charges listed on court documents only include receiving stolen property over $250 and resisting arrest.
Stepanchuk is due back in court on February 11.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
