Police say suspect targeted the elderly

The Melrose Avenue man is awaiting trial on a similar offense.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF Writer
BOARDMAN -- Police arrested a township man they say targeted the elderly, entering their homes under false pretenses and then stealing from them.
Police charged Thomas G. Baulo, 47, of Melrose Avenue, with burglary. He is in the Mahoning County jail and is to appear tonight in Mahoning County Court here to face the charge.
"He would enter the homes of elderly residents by deception, telling them his kids were cold in the car, he needed a glass of water or had to use the bathroom, and then he would take items while he was in the house," said Capt. Jack Nichols.
Under Ohio law, entering a structure under "force, stealth or deception and committing a theft" constitutes a burglary, he said.
He is a suspect in several other similar offenses involving elderly victims, police said. Nichols said there may be other victims who haven't reported the crimes to police.
The latest victim, an 87-year-old woman who lives in a South Avenue trailer park, reported an occurrence from early December. She contacted police last week.
What happened
She said a man came to her door three times in November asking for money. Each time, he gave a different reason for needing the cash, including that his car broke down and that he was collecting money for charitable organizations.
On one occasion, he had children with him and the woman said that she allowed him to use her phone.
In early December, she had forgotten to lock the door of her trailer and returned home to find Baulo inside. He asked to borrow $5, and she told him that she didn't have any money.
He asked for a glass of water, which the woman provided, and when he left, she discovered her purse missing. It contained about $100, personal documents, her glasses and photos of her grandchildren.
She later found the glasses in the shrubs near a neighbor's home.
The victim told police that Baulo returned to her home twice on Dec. 30, but she didn't answer the door.
Officer Joseph O'Grady recognized the circumstances and suspect description as matching Baulo's. He told the woman to call police if she saw him again.
Detective Greg Stepuk assembled a photo lineup from which the victim identified Baulo. Stepuk issued a warrant for his arrest on the burglary charge Tuesday. Police made the arrest early Wednesday.
Baulo also had a warrant from Canfield police on a misdemeanor theft offense.
Earlier accusation
It isn't the first time that Baulo has been accused of preying on senior citizens.
A Mahoning County grand jury indicted Baulo in November for theft by deception. A trial in that case is pending in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
That charge, filed in September, stems from allegations that Baulo deceived an 88-year-old man into giving him cash and checks.
That victim told police that in August he was at a drugstore, and when he returned to his home, a man, later determined to be Baulo, told the victim that his vehicle had struck Baulo's in the store's parking lot.
He gave Baulo $450 to fix the car's headlight. Baulo returned the next day and on subsequent days, requesting money for his son's hospital bill, car repairs and an electric bill, all of which the victim provided. A witness in that case called police.