STURBRIDGE - For the last two weeks, crime has spiked in this crossroads town.
Most recently, last Friday, two homes were broken into while the owners were home and asleep. In one of them, the perpetrator entered through a bedroom window while someone was sleeping in bed and stole a significant amount of jewelry, according to police.
Those homes are located near each other on Whittemore Road and Hawthorne Road off of Fiske Hill.
Prior to that, last week there was another pair of break-ins, but this time they were done when nobody was home.
“That’s a completely different animal,” said Detective Mark Saloio referring to the nature of the crimes. He said a break-in that occurs with homeowners present is an extremely dangerous situation.
While those investigations are very active, another series of motor vehicle break-ins resulted in the arrest of 17-year-old Tyler Snow of 209 Shepard Road. Snow was charged with 11 counts of breaking and entering. Police said Snow went on a spree during the night hours of May 16 and 17, breaking into 11 vehicles, rummaging through belongings and stealing valuables that included coins, wallets and at least one GPS device.
The break-ins all occurred in the area of Route 131, Fairview Park Road and the Publick House.
Snow was also charged with one count of malicious destruction of property of more than $250 for allegedly breaking into the Publick House shed, removing bags of dry concrete and dumping them into the swimming pool.
According to Detective Saloio, Snow came into the station the Monday after his alleged actions and provided police with various items that had been stolen from the vehicles. Snow allegedly told police that someone had given him the items to hold.
However, the next day, Snow reportedly came back to the station and admitted to the break-ins and was arrested by officer John Paciorek. While Snow has not admitted to vandalizing the Publick House pool, he was charged with the crime because the incident was close in time and place to the motor vehicle break-ins he had confessed to, police said.
Snow was also charged with larceny over $250 and arraigned in Dudley District Court, May 19.
This investigation is still active and police said additional charges may be filed.
“We don’t know if he was alone or not,” Saloio said.