BY KEVIN SHALVEY

A recent flurry of crime in Bedford has kept the Police Department busy with attempted ATM machine heists, robberies and one suspect who tried to flee a local store wearing a new pair of sneakers.

Caught on camera

Early on Monday, June 4, within about a half-hour, two Bedford gas stations were broken into with the alleged purpose of stealing from the in-store ATM cash machines.

Bedford Police Detective Matthew Fleming said store security camera tapes show two suspects wearing hooded shirts, gloves and bandanas over their faces.

First, at about 3:15 a.m. at Mobile West gas station, 470 Route 101, two suspects broke through a glass front door, he said.

The suspects left before police, who were alerted by a burglary alarm, arrived, Fleming said.

“It looked as though they were trying to remove the cash machine,” he said.

Then, at about 3:50 a.m., police were alerted to a similar break-in on the other end of town, at City Side Market, 381 Boynton St.

In both cases, suspects broke through glass doors.

“It was similar, but not going through the front door. They went through a side door,” Fleming said.

In both cases, the suspects had tried to steal or break into stand-alone-type ATMs, Fleming said. In cases like this, many times thieves flee when they realize they tripped an alarm, he said.

“Many times, they abandon their cause and get out of there so they don’t get caught,” he said.

Fleming said Bedford detectives are branching out to other police departments, including the Amherst police, where similar break-ins may have occurred.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Bedford Police Department at 472-5113 or the Bedford Crime Line at 472-8999.

Felony assault

A Massachusetts man was arrested after an alleged robbery in Manchester and assault in Bedford.

Dequan Belmer, 28, of Mattapan, Mass., was arrested by the Bedford Police Department on Thursday, May 31, at about 9:50 p.m.

“It appears that it’s an incident that started in Manchester and, for whatever reason, spilled over into Bedford,” said Fleming.

Police allege that Belmer threatened the robbery victim, who had followed him to Bedford, with a knife.

The alleged threatening happened in the Stop & Shop supermarket parking lot at 7 Kilton Road. 

“I believe what this was was a person-to-person robbery attempt in Manchester,” Fleming said.

Belmer is charged with simple assault, a misdemeanor, and criminal threatening with a deadly weapon, a felony, Fleming said.

He was arraigned Friday, June 1, in Merrimack District Court and is being held on $7,500 cash bail or surety. He is scheduled to appear at a probable cause hearing on June 11 in Merrimack District Court.

Bail is $7,500 because the criminal threatening was done with a deadly weapon, Fleming said.

“Those people are considered a threat not only to the victim, in this case, but to society, too,” he said.

Stolen shoes

A Manchester man was arrested after allegedly stealing a pair of sneakers from Bob’s Department Store in Bedford.

On Friday, June 1, at about 3:41 p.m., Justin Frost, 18, allegedly fled from a store security guard at the 73 S. River Road store, said Fleming.

“The subject stole some items from the store and ran past the loss prevention officer,” Fleming said.

Frost is charged with a Class A misdemeanor, receiving stolen property.

Fleming said officers arrested Frost in the parking lot of Citizen’s Bank, accross South River Road.

“Any jurisdiction that has retail clothing stores deals with thefts like this all the time,” Fleming said.

Frost was released on $2,000 personal recognizance bail and his arraignment is scheduled for July 2 at 8 a.m. in Merrimack District Court, according to police.

Felony shoplifting

Two women were arrested for allegedly stealing more than 30 articles of clothing worth almost $1,000 from Macy’s on May 24.

“Basically, what happened was the two women were in the store and they selected numerous articles of clothing from different departments and put them in a carriage,” said Fleming.

Ashley Krueger, 19, of Hampton, and Melanie Gilbert, 20, of Seabrook, were both charged with felony shoplifting and released on $2,500 personal recognizance bail.

Fleming said he couldn’t say what the women were doing with the clothes they allegedly stole.

“But I can tell you that the clothes were all different sizes, with a fairly large range from one to another,” he said. “The had everything, from pants, shorts, dress shirts, bathing suits,” Fleming said.

One of the women allegedly brought her car around to the front of Macy’s while the other waited in the store before carrying the clothes outside, he said.

“She got out the doors of the building and got into the car with the other girl,” Fleming said, adding he couldn’t say which woman was inside and which was in the car.

The women quickly drove out of the parking lot and were stopped by New Hampshire State Police in Manchester. A Bedford police officer then identified the women from a Macy’s surveillance video, he said.

Krueger and Gilbert will be arraigned in Merrimack District Court on June 21. The felony shoplifting charge could carry more than one year in jail and more than a $1,000 fine.