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Cops: Man wore EMHA bracelet to burglary
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Arthur Finley needs a good alibi.
The 33-year-old man is facing at least two second-degree felony counts of burglary, one of them for a recent break-in at a Shirley Road home.
Investigators know he was there because of the GPS device on the bracelet he must wear as part of being on electronically monitored house arrest, said Detective Sgt. D.P. Scott.
Finley also is a suspect in several other burglaries. He was arrested along with three other people Thursday in a van on the South Side that was spotted at the scene of two burglaries Wednesday.
Finley, of Helena Avenue, was arraigned before Judge Elizabeth Kobly on two counts of burglary Monday and remains in the Mahoning County jail on $100,000 bond.
Also arraigned on two counts of burglary was Eugene Bowens, 27, of Lee Street, also held on $100,000 bond.
Also arraigned and being held on $50,000 bond were Derrecka Clinkscale, 29, of Moherman Avenue and Gaynell Grabe, 24, also of Lee Street. The two women are charged with single counts each of burglary.
They were arrested about 3:45 p.m. after all four were spotted in a van that was suspected of being used in burglaries in the 1600 block of Shawnee Trail and the first block of Willis Avenue.
Scott said the four are also being investigated for several other burglaries.
When they were stopped in the van, police found two handguns as well as a big-screen television and a laptop computer.
Scott said that while homeowners should have an alarm system, they also need reinforced doors and windows.
He said the problem is a lot of burglars take what he termed the “Blitzkrieg” approach, where they simply force their way in, ignore the alarm and grab what they can within a five of six minute stretch of time before leaving. Scott said that way, they can beat responses by alarm companies who take about that much time to dispatch an officer to an address.
“They defeat it,” Scott said of alarms. “They grab stuff and run like hell.”
Often, they will grab items such as big-screen TVs yet leave the remotes behind simply because they just want to get what they can and get out.
“They’re not neat,” Scott said.
They also sell their stolen wares, often for very low prices. Scott said people need to watch what they buy and where they buy it. He said they can be charged with receiving stolen property if it can be proved they knowingly purchased items that were stolen.