http://www.wmur.com/r/24943582/detail.htmlPolice: Thieves Robbed Homes Based On Facebook Posts
Off-Duty Police Officer Who Heard Fireworks Credited With Cracking Case
POSTED: 2:43 pm EDT September 9, 2010
UPDATED: 6:01 pm EDT September 9, 2010
NASHUA, N.H. –– Nashua police are crediting an alert off-duty
police officer who heard fireworks with cracking a burglary ring that
targeted homes known to be empty because of Facebook postings.
Police said they recovered between $100,000 and $200,000 worth of stolen property as a result of the investigation.
Police
said there were 50 home burglaries in the city in August. Investigators
said the suspects used social networking sites such as Facebook to
identify victims who posted online that they would not be home at a
certain time.
"Be careful of what you post on these social
networking sites," said Capt. Ron Dickerson. "We know for a fact that
some of these players, some of these criminals, were looking on these
sites and identifying their targets through these social networking
sites."
Images: Thousands In Stolen Property Seized
In one case, a specific type of fireworks was taken, and police
were told to listen for anyone who might be lighting off fireworks in
the city.
"The burglary unit advised all the officers within the
department that there was a large amount of fireworks that were stolen,
and if they heard any fireworks going off or come across anyone in
possession of a large amount of fireworks to be suspicious and
investigate," Dickerson said.
An off-duty officer heard fireworks going off last month. When
he investigated, he found packaging that matched the fireworks taken in
one of the burglaries, police said.
Investigators said that led to
the first of three suspects in the case. Police arrested Victor
Rodriguez, Mario Rojas and Leonardo Barroso on several charges that
include burglary, and said more arrests are anticipated.
"These
three or four and maybe more, depending on where this leads, are in the
business of burglarizing homes. That's what they do," said Chief Donald
Conley. "That's what they do for a living, and it wasn't going to stop.
"Police said they recovered everything from ammunition to electronics to remote-controlled cars.
Officials
said they believe they solved 18 burglaries in the city and may be able
to solve dozens more. Police said they are also working with
neighboring departments to determine whether any of the recovered
property was taken from their communities.