OXFORD – The Oxford Police Department, Chenango County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police responded to over 45 vehicle theft complaints from Oxford residents last week.
On Monday, 19-year-old Michael K. Purdy, said to be the ring leader by police, and 18-year-old Otilio Cruz, turned themselves into authorities.
Purdy is currently charged with fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon, sixth degree conspiracy, fourth degree criminal mischief, eight counts of petit larceny, making a false written statement, trespassing, unlawful possession of marijuana and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $20,000 bail.
Cruz was charged with five counts of petit larceny, fourth degree criminal mischief, sixth degree conspiracy and trespassing and was released.
Police said they had been looking for the two teens since Friday.
Oxford Police Chief Richard Nolan said the local station began receiving calls at 4 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 15 and by 8:30, the agencies had received a total of 20 reports of vehicles being broken into. Nolan said yesterday that calls continued to come into the station as late as Monday morning.
Police said all the vehicles targeted in the crime had their doors unlocked over night.
“If the cars were unlocked, they took what they could get out of them. If they were locked, they kept moving on,” said Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Richard M. Cobb.
The chief said the two suspects were under the influence of marijuana at the time of the thefts.
Callers reported missing money, CDs, DVDs, cigarettes, I-pods and chargers, cameras, GPS units and even their car mats, said police.
“A concerned resident walking his dog witnessed two suspicious persons at 4 a.m. in the morning. This resident followed their tracks and realized these two were looking in a number of cars. He then dialed 911 to report this activity,” said the chief.
A joint investigation into the thefts began last week, which at one point involved eight police officers checking complaints and following up on leads.
Two sets of footprints were discovered by police and followed back through several streets, leading all the way back to the suspects’ residence at 20 South Washington St. in the Village of Oxford.
