Chilmark police quickly solved the case of a stolen robotic lawn mower with the assistance of its owner on Monday, tracking down a Fall River man who worked on the Island and charging him with the theft.
Carlos Soares Carvalho, 45, of Fall River was arrested and charged on Monday with larceny over $1,200 and receiving stolen property, according to Edgartown district court clerk Liza Williamson. Mr. Carvalho is scheduled to be arraigned on July 10.
The incident occurred on June 15 at about 6 p.m., when Chilmark resident Adam Sloan notified police that his gray and green robotic lawn mower was on the move from his home on North Road.
Speaking to the Gazette by phone Monday, Mr. Sloan said the high-tech lawn mower has GPS tracking capabilities and was part of a larger fleet of high-tech mowers.
According to the police report written by officer Jesse Burton, Mr. Sloan used his phone to track the mower, revealing its location to be at the Tisbury Park and Ride. Police then arrived on the scene and noted that the bluetooth signal appeared to be emanating from a 2017 Chevy express van marked with the label Goodman Networks AT&T Authorized Contractor.
The van was then towed to the West Tisbury police station. Ms. Williamson issued a search warrant just after midnight.
“The lawn mower was located in the rear of the van along with miscellaneous satellite TV installation hardware,” Officer Burton wrote.
After confirming the identity of the suspect with his employer, Chilmark police met Mr. Carvalho at the Steamship Authority terminal and interviewed him.
“[The suspect] stated that as he was driving he observed the lawn mower on the side of the road, next to a stone wall,” the report writes. “[He] stated he thought it was a kids toy, a remote control car.”
After the interview, police arrested Mr. Carvalho and charged him with the theft.
“I’m really pleased with what Chilmark PD did,” Mr. Sloan said. “They responded professionally, rapidly, and the mower was gone for only about seven or eight hours, which is remarkable.”
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