http://www.gloucestertimes.com/punews/local_story_302230047.html
Police cut short teen's spree Gloucester, Rockport join to catch suspect
By Jonathan L'Ecuyer
Staff Writer
ROCKPORT — A 17-year-old Rockport man, who police say stole more than a half-dozen guns and more than 50 pieces of jewelry from a Squam Hill Road home, was arrested on multiple weapons charges after Rockport Police, aided by several Gloucester officers, apprehended the man at a Gloucester apartment building just before 10:30 p.m. Monday.
Lee J. Stevenson, of 5 Joseph Way, Rockport, was arrested after police officers executed search and arrest warrants from Gloucester District Court. Rockport police applied for the warrants based on information provided to them through an investigation of a house burglary earlier Monday afternoon.
Sgts. Mark Schmink and Robert Tibert, together with Gloucester police Detective Steven Mizzoni and others, tracked Stevenson to 16 Blynman Ave. Police, able to enter unannounced because of a "no-knock" search warrant, broke down the door and ordered everyone to get down on the ground.
Police found two handguns on Stevenson, a backpack full of jewelry, and the remaining loaded semi-automatic weapons, which had been scattered outside around the property, during the search. Police said Stevenson had left one loaded semi-automatic pistol in plain view on a sidewalk in front of the residence.
"We subdued everyone quickly and Stevenson was arrested and handcuffed," Schmink said yesterday. "(Stevenson) did cooperate and led us to the firearms (he left outside the residence)."
During an interrogation conducted between 3 and 4 a.m. yesterday, police say Stevenson admitted to the burglary on Squam Hill Road as well as to stealing money from Loco-Motion Laundromat at Whistlestop Mall last Friday and stealing a dirt bike from a Main Street garage on Oct. 11.
Police have not yet recovered the dirt bike but plan to pursue charges against Stevenson for stealing it.
As a result of Monday's burglary, Rockport Police charged Stevenson with breaking and entering during the day with intent to commit a felony, larceny of a building, carrying a firearm without a license, and unlawful possession of ammunition. Police also tacked on an additional larceny charge because Stevenson stole money from the Loco-Motion Laundromat when he broke into the business last week.
Stevenson was arraigned in Gloucester District Court yesterday where Judge James LaMothe ordered the 17-year-old held without bail for a week pending the outcome of a psychological evaluation and dangerousness hearing. Stevenson was taken to Middleton Jail after his arraignment, police said.
Police say Stevenson's one-man crime spree began more than two weeks ago, but it wasn't until Monday's burglary that they were able to determine a common thread.
At 3:22 p.m. Monday, police received a report of a burglary from a Squam Hill Road couple. The homeowners reported someone had stolen a safe containing several handguns, many of them semi-automatics, and ammunition, two rifles in cases, and more than 50 pieces of jewelry.
Rockport police Chief Thomas McCarthy said his department reacted as it always would, launching an immediate investigation into the crime. Sgt. Schmink requested a K-9 unit from the Essex County Sheriff's office to help track the suspect. With the dog's help, officers eventually found an emptied safe in a wooded area roughly 100 yards away from the home.
A hatchet used to break into the home and open the safe was also found in the woods, Schmink said.
Stevenson — well known to Rockport police for past offenses — became a person of interest in the burglary only after interviews were conducted with the homeowners and an informant told police Stevenson was walking around with two handguns, one of which was tucked into his belt.
Through an interview with the homeowners, police were able to determine Stevenson was a friend of the couple's son and that he had been in the house several times before the couple told their son not to spend time with Stevenson. Around the same time, police began to suspect Stevenson was linked to the burglary at Loco-Motion Laundromat because one of Stevenson's relatives works at the Whistlestop Mall business.
Schmink said Stevenson, a high school drop-out, has no known residence and has been moving around since his parents kicked him out of their home owing to his "steady decline over the past few months."
Schmink and McCarthy said yesterday they appreciated Gloucester's help in the case.
Gloucester Police said they plan to pursue charges against Stevenson for probation violation and crimes committed in Gloucester on Monday related to the burglary.
"They did a great job and nobody got hurt," McCarthy said yesterday of the work done by both departments. "It was handled very professionally and we appreciate Gloucester's help."
Jonathan L'Ecuyer can be reached at [email protected].
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