By IAN BENJAMIN
Executive Editor
An 11 year old boy was arrested Saturday afternoon for breaking into cars on Willet Street. He was later connected to a commercial burglary on Lark St., according to the Albany PD.
Following up on a burglary report last Thursday, officer Michael Geraci was interviewing the owner of Frame Workshop, located at 215 Lark St. The owner said that someone had stolen $240 from the cash register and that they had entered through an unlocked window sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The suspect also damaged several picture frames as they climbed in.
The owner informed the officer that the young boy had been hanging around the business in the past couple days and had been inside several times. He then stated that he believed the suspect had unlocked the window while inside the shop so as to enter later. The owner gave Geraci the name of the boy and showed the officer the boy’s Facebook page.
Two days later, while Geraci was on his beat in the Center Square neighborhood, he noticed a young boy checking car doors on Willet St. Identifying the boy as the same from a picture on the Facebook page, he followed. Soon Geraci saw the boy climb inside an open car. The officer approached the car and, seeing that the boy was in the back seat stealing a camera, apprehended him. The boy was placed in custody, and was later brought to the Children and Family Services Unit.
With the boy’s mother present, a detective interviewed the boy. He admitted to having broken into two cars on Saturday. The boy also confessed to committing the burglary at the Frame Workshop. In addition, an Ipod and cellphone were confiscated, as well as a cash register key taken during the Frame Workshop burglary.
The boy has been charged with burglary, two counts of petit larceny, criminal mischief, and criminal possession of stolen property.
