WASHINGTON — One store owner called him a brazen burglar. Now D.C. police are charging a man with breaking into 18 businesses.
Police said surveillance video from a burglary in broad daylight led to the arrest of Melvin Turner, 48. Turner made his first court appearance Friday.
The surveillance footage shows the July 22 burglary of the store that Amber Speights manages.
“He broke in with a crowbar through the front door,” Speights said. “He came in, destroyed the cash register again with the crow bar and one of our back doors, and he stole money.”
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said that two days later officers recognized Turner and arrested him.
“The officers were not aware at the time they stopped Mr. Turner, he had just committed an additional burglary,” Lanier said during a news conference Friday.
Turner was released and told to report for a GPS device fitting, which he never did, Lanier said.
“Over the next several days, detectives compiled forensic evidence, video and other physical evidence tying Mr. Turner to 17 other commercial burglaries,” she said.
Turner faces multiple charges for each burglary including destruction of property.
“It’s shocking to me he could be so successful for so long without being caught and so brazen,” Speights said.
In 2015, D.C. had 1,324 reported burglaries and in 2016 it has 1,212, according to the D.C. Police crime statistics.
