By SYDNEY KENT
A man from Bluffton was arrested in connection to a string of vehicle break-ins that occurred in early April. He reportedly left his cell phone in one of the cars.
David Lee Cruz III, 19, was charged with theft and entering a motor vehicle without permission, both Level 6 felonies.
Cruz is scheduled for a pretrial conference for this case at 1 p.m. on Oct. 3 in the Wells Circuit Court.
In early April, officers received ongoing reports of break-ins to vehicles with items missing, according to a probable cause affidavit. One person allegedly reported a cell phone that the perpetrator likely left behind, as it did not belong to her. Officers obtained a search warrant for the phone and found text messages from a phone number belonging to Cruz’s mother.
When officers spoke to Cruz at the Wells County Jail, he attempted to discuss his charges from an ongoing case. He also reportedly denied any knowledge of the phone’s whereabouts and said that it must have been stolen.
On April 17, the same time period that the phone was reported, a different caller reported suspicious activity in the area of Wabash and Marion streets. The subject in question was Cruz. The officer that spoke to Cruz reviewed body camera footage from the incident to see if he could identify the phone. He found that Cruz had possession of the phone that matched the description of the one that was found after a break in.
Officers then reviewed footage from an interaction with Cruz that occurred several hours later the same night, which ultimately led to an arrest. Cruz no longer had the phone during this incident.
In multiple separate cases, Cruz has been charged with dangerous control of a firearm — providing a firearm to a child for any purpose, a Level 5 felony, unlawful carrying of a handgun, a Class A misdemeanor, public intoxication — endangers his/her life, a Class B misdemeanor, intimidation, a Level 6 felony, two counts of pointing a firearm at another person, both Class A misdemeanors.
The News Banner will continue to follow this case.
sydney@news-banner.com
