PUTNEY — Vermont State Police announced Monday afternoon that multiple arrests have been made in connection with a massive multi-state burglary spree.
In all, about 100 burglaries in five states were committed over a 12-month period, state police said, and the vast majority of these burglaries occurred in southeast Vermont and southwest New Hampshire, with 30 burglaries in Windham County alone.
Four were arrested by state police on Saturday for multiple counts of burglary, unlawful mischief, and unlawful trespass: Criscenzo Ruggiero, 20, of Westminster; Travis Noyes, 20, of Saxtons River; Lance Thomas, 18, of Rockingham, and Christopher Goldschmidt, 18, of Athens.
The four were cited and released on court-ordered conditions. They will be arraigned in Windham Superior Court in Brattleboro on March 13.
Two other young men state police say are connected with the burglary ring are in custody in New Hampshire.
Arrest warrants are being sought for multiple counts of burglary, unlawful mischief, and unlawful trespass for Cody Loewe, 20, with a last known address of Bellows Falls, and Dillon Lange, 20, of Alstead, N.H. Both men are being held on charges related to New Hampshire burglaries.
Another man, Logan Critchfield, 21, of Walpole, N.H., was being sought on Monday for multiple counts of burglary, unlawful mischief, and unlawful trespass. He was arrested by police in Keene, N.H., on Tuesday afternoon.
The announcement was made during a news conference at the Putney Fire Department which featured representatives from the Vermont and New Hampshire State Police, the Windham County State's Attorney's office, the Windham County Sheriff's Department, and many local police departments.
According to Vermont State Police, the investigation into the burglary ring has been ongoing for more than a year. Police did not offer any motives for the break-ins, but said that all the suspects have links to one another.
Starting in the late summer of 2011, police departments in Windham County began to notice a pattern in a string of burglaries.
As local departments shared information, state police said, they noticed that most of the break-ins occurred at small businesses without alarm systems, usually between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.
The suspects would take non-traceable items and cash. Entry was usually forced and often through a window.
A key part of the case turned up last October, according to state police, as an investigation into a break-in in Cheshire County led Vermont investigators to understand that these crimes crossed the Connecticut River into southeast New Hampshire.
What followed was a series of information-sharing meetings between investigators from New Hampshire and Vermont law enforcement agencies. Through these cooperative efforts, state police said, the investigators developed a comprehensive picture of these crimes and compiled evidence linking several suspects to approximately 60 burglaries in Vermont, about 30 in New Hampshire, four each in Massachusetts and Maine, and one in Virginia.
Another key part of the investigation, state police said, was the cooperation of the victims of the break-ins who reported the crimes and offered valuable leads to investigators.
Investigations are still ongoing and far-reaching, state police said, and new crimes are linked every week.
Vermont State Police encourages anyone with information to call the Rockingham barracks at 802-875-2112.