Officer goes for haircut, ends up helping catch suspected thieves

By Mark E. Vogler
mvogler@eagletribune.com

September 24, 2008 12:10 am

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LAWRENCE — Off-duty police Officer Kyle Wilcox got a little work done at the barbershop yesterday.

Instead of getting a haircut, Wilcox wound up putting his police hat back on — directing fellow officers in the arrest of two men who allegedly tried to sell a stolen GPS.

"It was an excellent pinch," Lawrence police Chief John Romero said last night.

"Here's a good example of an off-duty officer getting involved when he saw and heard something suspicious. He did the right thing instead of trying to make the arrests himself," Romero said.

"He (Wilcox) called for assistance, followed the suspects to where they were going, and let the other officers make the arrests. It was excellent work," he said.

Charged with receiving stolen property worth more than $250 were Pedro Fernandez, 20, of 27 Sargent St., Lawrence, and Cesar Ruiz, 17, 51 Woodland St., Lawrence.

Wilcox entered Mi-Sueno Barbershop at 189 Newbury St. shortly before noon. As he walked through the front door, he noticed a man later identified as Fernandez standing in front of the barbershop, repeatedly looking over his shoulder up and down the street.

The officer then said he overheard Ruiz discussing the price of a GPS with several men inside.

"During the conversation, Ruiz stated he wanted more than $30 for the GPS," Wilcox later wrote in his report.

"Ruiz then exited the shop and spoke with Fernandez, who was still outside. A short time later, Ruiz opened the door and stated, 'I'm all set' and both suspects proceeded to walk up Newbury Street, towards Elm Street," the officer said.

Wilcox noticed the GPS in the front pocket of the sweatshirt Ruiz was wearing.

The officer called Lawrence police dispatch on his cell phone, described the two suspects, and followed them up Newbury Street while continuing to update police on their location.

At the corner of Haverhill and Newbury streets, the two suspects had entered a corner store. When they came out, a group of officers detained the men. Wilcox identified the two men as the same he had seen in the barbershop. When asked about the GPS in his pocket, Ruiz said somebody gave it to him, but he was unable to identify that person.

Police said the GPS was stolen from a New Hampshire man, whom they expected to come to the police station today with paperwork to prove ownership.

"The theft of GPSs is a nationwide problem," Romero said.

"That seems to be the item of choice of thieves when breaking into cars. We had a rash of this late last year and early this year. We've made some key arrests and had some success in reducing the number of thefts," the chief said.