MORGANTOWN — Two Morgantown men suspected of breaking into 14 businesses from Grafton Road to Mid Atlantic Drive after hours over the past six months have been arrested.
Jeremy J. Hunter, 24 and Tristen B. Harvey, 24, are each charged with three counts of breaking and entering and one count of conspiracy by the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office. Additional charges are expected, according to the department.
On May 23, three businesses — Par Mar and Morgantown Collision on Grafton Road and Fujiyama on Venture Drive — were broken into.
“That really drew our attention to all of it,” Detective Jon Friend said.
Friend went to Fuijyama to help collect evidence and was able to get fingerprints that matched Hunter. He was able to watch security footage of the suspect in the restaurant’s office and collected usable prints from an envelope in the desk.
“Had it not been for police work done by the fingerprinting, which kinda goes by the wayside these days, that was Detective Friend who found the fingerprints. I don’t think we’d even be having this meeting today,” Detective Pete Tennant said.
After the match to Hunter, prints from previous break-ins were sent to the state police lab and came back as a match to him as well, Friend said.
Hunter was arrested and admitted to being involved in the break-ins during the past six months, Friend said. Detectives were also able to find clothes that were seen on video in the break-ins for additional evidence. Hunter also said Harvey drove him around to the different businesses, according to a criminal complaint.
In an interview, Harvey admitted his involvement, a criminal complaint states.
All of the break-ins, which Friend said were done as “just necessity for cash and drugs,” occurred at night.
“They were cutting the power in a lot of these places in order to shut off the security footage as well as try to stop the burglar alarm from going off, which would also create a lapse in response time,” Friend said. Then a door out of the public eye would be forced open.
Detective Stephen Currie said businesses should invest in hooking their security cameras and systems into a battery backup, so even if power is disrupted law enforcement can be alerted.
Detective Perry Palmer said he knows the businesses that were broken into feel violated but thanked them for their patience as the investigation, reports from road deputies, evidence processing and work of detectives all led to arrests.
According to the department, the two men are connected with break-ins at:
- Morgantown Collision – Grafton Road
- Fujiyama – Venture Drive
- Par Mar – Grafton Road
- Burger King – Cheat Lake
- Frosted Mug – Green Bag Road
- Dinsmore Tire – Mileground Road
- Whitetail Crossing – Grafton Road
- The Pines – Point Marion Road
- Casa D’ Amici – Mid Atlantic Drive
- Big Easy Lounge – Mid Atlantic Drive
- Amedisys – Mid Atlantic Drive
- PJ’s Hotspot – Fairchance Road
- Cheat Lake Library – Crosby Road
TWEET @DominionPostWV
