Police Connect Man to Series of Commercial Burglaries, Burglary Attempts

Police have accused an alleged career burglar with a string of area burglaries and burglary attempts, including the attempted burglary of an autobody shop this month and a 2009 burglary of a Springfield deli.  

On Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 7:30 a.m. employees told police that a burglar unsuccessfully tried to pry open two of the body shop’s storage sheds. In addition, they reported the burglar stole a car from the lot and used it to smash open the body shop's gate.

Investigating the incident, detectives discovered a lone suspect scaled the fence and left behind a bicycle. A statewide alert was issued on the burglary and the description of the stolen car, a 2003 Ford Taurus.

On Thursday, Aug. 16, Union Township police contacted Springfield detectives about a burglary suspect, Christopher Ransom. Union police had charge  Ransom, 40, of Newark, with a burglary at a gas station. Ransom was known to Springfield police; he was the suspected of a burglary committed at the at 529 South Springfield Avenue on September 9, 2009.

When detectives looked to link Ransom to the burglary at Dobb's Autobody they found that on Tuesday, Aug. 15, Ransom was stopped by Millburn police at 2 a.m. for riding a bicycle without a headlight and arrested for possessing drug paraphernalia in the form of what police describe as a crack pipe. He was charged and released with a court appearance. 

Police believe that after he was stopped, Ransom rode his bike to Dobb's where he stole the Ford Tauras.  The exact same bicycle Ransom was riding in Millburn was the bike abandoned at Dobb's Autobody.

Springfield PD Detective Keith Doherty and Detective James Mirabile arrested Ransom and charged him for both the 2009 burglary to the deli and the attempted burglary and auto theft in 2012. He is currently in Union County Jail with bail set in the amount of $50,000.00 by Springfield for charges of Burglary, Theft of Moveable Property and Criminal Mischief.