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Police Say Crime May Be Linked To Other Break-Ins

BOSTON -- Thieves who stole a 500-pound safe from a Lawrence thrift store during the weekend may be responsible for a number of break-ins in the area, according to the Eagle Tribune.

The safe that was stolen on Saturday from the St. Vincent DePaul thrift store on Franklin Street had about $1,500 inside, the newspaper reported. A store clerk discovered that the safe and a laptop were missing after the worker arrived at the store at about 8:40 a.m.

Police said that the people responsible for the theft may be linked to break-ins in several Haverhill and Methuen businesses.
In one break-in, the thieves cut a hole in the roof of Kentucky Fried Chicken in Methuen and stole money from a safe inside the building.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/17528303/detail.html

 

[Inspector]

LAWRENCE — A 500-pound safe stolen from the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store was found nearly empty and dumped behind a business in a Haverhill industrial park yesterday.
But the thieves believed to be responsible for stealing the safe and burglarizing other businesses in Haverhill and Methuen remain at large.
The massive safe, with $1,500 cash inside, was stolen early Saturday morning from the 42 Franklin St. thrift store.
Then yesterday, a man looking for scrap metal discovered the 5-by-2-foot safe dumped behind Adamson Industries at 45 Research Drive off Route 97, police said.
"The guy thought it was odd and he called police," Lawrence Detective Paul MacMillan said.
Police planned to process the safe for fingerprints last night.
The bottom of the safe was pried open. Drawers and loose change were left inside. Police said they now believe the safe was loaded into some type of red vehicle after they found red paint scrapings on the outside of the safe.
Police Chief John Romero said it would have taken at least three people, if not four, to carry the safe out of the thrift shop. Police initially suspected a wheeled dolly or pallet jack was used by the burglars. But a closer look at the store revealed no evidence to support that theory, Romero said.
"My sense is, because of its size, they probably felt there was more money in it," said Romero, after the safe was brought to the Lawrence police station yesterday afternoon.
A thrift store manager viewed the recovered safe and confirmed it was the store's, Romero said.
A local St. Vincent de Paul official last night described the theft as "unfortunate."