LAWRENCE — Former Lawrence High School basketball star Joe Burgos, accused of running a chop shop out of his uncle's garage, was ordered to stay out of trouble and he will stay out of jail until his trial on theft charges.
Burgos, 22, of 61 Stearns Ave., was arrested Friday at Salem State College, where he attends classes. He was charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle and two counts of receiving stolen property over $250 in connection with an ongoing Lawrence police probe into stolen cars.
Lawrence District Court Judge Barbara Pearson let Burgos go without bail after his arraignment yesterday. Burgos' lawyer, Alex Cain, said his client "asserts his innocence and is looking forward to his day in court."
"I would assert the Lawrence Police Department case is rather thin," Cain said.
In early December, an investigation into local chop shops — where cars are dismantled and the parts are then sold illegally — prompted investigators to look closely at Burgos.
Lawrence police detectives Jaime Brito, Mike Simard and Ryan Guthrie followed a tip to Burgos' home. There, they found a set of rims and tires that had been stripped from a car stolen from Lowell over Thanksgiving weekend and driven to Lawrence, where it was left on the street, police said.
Burgos told police he bought the parts off Craigslist, but couldn't provide the name of the seller or the e-mail address used in the transaction, police said.
Burgos' uncle gave police permission to search the garage, and then learned that Burgos had put a lock on the door without his knowledge or consent, according to a police report.
The Fire Department was called in to cut the lock off the door. Once they entered to the garage, police recovered more evidence, which they used in Friday's arrest of Burgos.
"The garage seemed to serve as a chop shop for Mr. Burgos, as we recovered a Honda stolen the night before and the parts to a vehicle stolen several days prior, as well as the remnants of cars being worked on in the garage," Brito wrote in his report.
Brito said the Honda was stolen from Methuen, and the car parts — the hood, trunk, driver and passenger doors, fenders and dashboard — were stripped from a car stolen in Andover.
Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Kunsch did not ask for bail on Burgos, who stood in handcuffs and shackles about the ankles smiling and laughing during the arraignment.
Judge Pearson told Burgos to remain out of trouble and that if he were to be arrested again or fail to appear in court during his case, he could be held in jail for 60 days without bail.
Burgos was one of the stars of the 2005 Lawrence High basketball team — considered the best in the school's history. He helped lead the Lancers to a 21-3 record and to within two wins of a state title. He also helped pace the school's volleyball team to a state title before going on to start for several years with the Endicott College men's basketball team.
