A Tisbury man is facing about 80 charges after he was arrested for an alleged spree of break-ins in the down-Island towns.
Eric Johnson, 25, was arrested on Wednesday after members of the Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, Edgartown and West Tisbury police departments executed a search warrant at his Carroll’s Way residence.
Mr. Johnson, who was also wanted on crimes in Rhode Island, was arraigned in Edgartown District Court on Friday, pleading not guilty to the charges ranging from breaking and entering to larceny and even drug charges.
In all, Mr. Johnson was charged in 22 cases.
Police for weeks had been investigating break-ins, largely in cars, but also unlocked sheds and garages.
While some reported their center consoles had only been rummaged through, others reported losing loose cash that was stashed away in their vehicles. One resident told police $10,000 was taken from her car, according to an Oak Bluffs police report.
An electric scooter, an antique tin and a bicycle were also taken.
It was Mr. Johnson’s alleged theft of the bicycle with an Apple AirTag GPS tracker attached that led to the arrest, according to police reports. An Oak Bluffs man told police his bicycle was stolen on Nov. 20, and surveillance footage showed a man riding off with the $900 bike. The AirTag tracked it to the Carroll’s Way home.
Officers searched the home, where they found the bike and several other items from the break-ins, police said. A mask that was seen in several surveillance video was also found as police placed Mr. Johnson under arrest.
During the investigation, police also learned that Mr. Johnson had previously led police on a dirt bike chase in Edgartown in 2023, and was wanted by police in Warwick, R.I. for similar thefts.
The district attorney’s office requested bail be set at $15,000, though Edgartown District Court judge Benjamin Barnes set it at $1,000.
Mr. Johnson has a pretrial hearing in the cases on Jan. 20.
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