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Mostly Cloudy Police end one-man crime wave in Rockville Centre
Say Uniondale man burglarized at least 9 village homes
In what was described as a major break, a Uniondale man who police say has been responsible for most of the burglaries in Rockville Centre over the past few years was arrested by Nassau County and Rockville Centre police on Feb. 19.
Detectives said that Kurt Saunders, 35, of 1020 Adams St., has been linked to at least nine burglaries in a one-man crime spree that started as early as April 2008 with a break-in at a home on Overlook Lane.
In addition to that one, according to police, Saunders has committed at least eight burglaries of village homes since the beginning of 2010 — on Addison Place on Jan. 19, on Lakeview Avenue on June 15, on Lehigh Court on Aug. 5, on Vasser Place on Oct. 16, on North Village Avenue on Nov. 9, on Voorhis Avenue on Nov. 23, on Muirfield Road on Jan. 4 of this year and on Hampton Court on Feb. 11. Police said that Saunders allegedly stole homeowners’ vehicles during six of the break-ins.
His arrest came when 1st Squad detectives and units from Rockville Centre conducted a search of his home in Uniondale after the GPS device in a laptop reportedly stolen during this month’s burglary was tracked to Adams Street, Police Commissioner Charles Gennario said. Gennario added that police found a number of items in Saunders’s home, including keys to the stolen cars, an iPod, a digital camera, a cell phone, a wallet and other laptops allegedly taken during the burglaries — along with a loaded gun.
“This was excellent police work conducted by Nassau County 1st Squad detectives, especially Detective Michelle Clifford,” Gennario said. “Her dedication and diligence led to the arrest of a career criminal who has been preying on the residents of Rockville Centre.” The investigation is continuing, he said, and he expects to tie Saunders to additional burglaries that have taken place in the village.
Saunders, who Gennario said has already served time for burglary, was charged with eight counts of burglary, six counts of grand larceny of autos and eight counts of criminal possession of stolen property. He was arraigned on Monday in First District Court in Hempstead. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison on the felony burglary charges.
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