Two 20-year-old Liverpool men were arrested June 26 in connection with 17 thefts from vehicles in the village.
Among the victims were Mayor Marlene Ward and her husband, Richard., who live at 309 Fourth St., between Tulip and Tamarack streets.
“There were two strings of larcenies,” said Liverpool Police Chief William Becker. “Ten were reported Wednesday morning (June 24) and another seven on Friday morning (June 26).” The crimes involved vehicles which had been left unlocked, Becker said.
LPD officer Kenneth Hatter made the initial arrest after spotting the inside dome light go on in a vehicle parked on the 300 block of Third Street early Friday morning. The driver, Daniel Bills, 20, of 414 First St., had stolen items including iPods and cash, Becker said. He was charged with petit larceny and fifth-degree possession of stolen property.
After Hatter handcuffed Bills and drove him to the police station at 310 Sycamore St., the suspect pushed the officer aside and ran to Second Street, where he was apprehended a second time. Bills was then charged with resisting arrest and third-degree escape.
Police determined that the car Bills was driving was owned by James M. Pearo, 20, of 113 Memphis St., in Liverpool. Pearo was arrested later on June 26 and charged with petit larceny and fifth-degree possession of stolen property. Further charges may be pending, Becker said.
Bills was incarcerated but was later released on $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond. Pearo was issued appearance tickets.
The two had been working in tandem on the larcenies, Becker said. “Typically, one watches for police cruisers while the other one rifles through the cars,” the chief said.
Bills and Pearo had stolen radar detectors, iPods, a GPS system and cash including change and a few bills up to $20. An iPod cable was taken from Mayor Ward’s Ford Focus, while her husband’s Ford Focus was missing a handful of change, she said.
“We each thought the other one had locked the cars,” the mayor explained.
Becker advises that all residents take care to lock both their vehicles and their homes.
“I grew up in Baldwinsville,” Becker said, “and we always used to leave our doors unlocked, but you can’t do that anymore. Although this rash of larcenies has been rectified, there will be others, there always are.”
This week, residents are receiving booklets mailed by village government listing its services. Becker added an insert to remind people to lock their cars and doors and avoid leaving valuables in plain sight.
One of the benefits of having a village police department is that nuisance crimes such as these receive a high priority, Becker said. In larger municipalities, police agencies are spread thin covering wider geographical areas and more serious crimes involving major robberies, assaults and gun violence.
“Here we can provide directed policing,” Becker said. “We want to address these problems now before they become bigger problems.”
The mayor concurred.
“I’m just so impressed with this police department,” she said. “These quick arrests show how proactive they are.”
