TEWKSBURY — Police in Tewksbury have arrested a Fairhaven man on charges connected to a series of thefts at area businesses — as well as the theft of a truck and multiple small fires.
John Mueller, 36, is charged with two felony counts of breaking and entering, two counts of larceny and one count of motor vehicle larceny, four counts of vandalizing property, and attempting to burn a building.
Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan Columbus said in a release that Mueller was caught following a "report received from an alert community member."
At around 2:45 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 8, police responded to a reported break-in at a business on Lorum Street in Tewksbury.
Investigators learned that multiple tools and other items had been stolen from the same business the previous evening.
Police said the town's fire department also had to put out multiple small fires at the same business early Tuesday morning at around 3:35 a.m.
Other businesses in the area had also been burglarized, police said, and a truck had been stolen.
Investigators later identified Mueller as the suspect, and eventually recovered the truck in Salem, New Hampshire.
On Thursday, police discovered that Mueller had spoken with law enforcement in Plymouth County about a matter unrelated to their investigation.
Plymouth police took Mueller into custody and returned him to Tewksbury for booking, according to the release.
"I want to commend our officers for their professionalism in this case,” Columbus said. “This arrest is a direct result of their thorough hard work.”
According to Tewksbury police, assistance in the investigation was provided by Plymouth police, police in Salem, N.H., Westford police, and the Tewksbury Fire Department and State Fire Marshal's Office.