Police use dog to catch suspected cat burglar BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer EDISON - Edison police apprehended three people thought to be responsible for a monthlong string of burglaries throughout the north side of town. Using a police dog named Lucky, authorities were able to track the alleged burglar and his two cohorts just moments after an evening robbery on Savoy Avenue. Authorities arrested Glenn Robinson, 42, of New Brunswick, on Nov. 1 and charged him with seven counts of burglary, three counts of attempted burglary and one count of possession of burglary tools. His bail was set at $100,000 and he was sent to the Middlesex County jail. Also arrested was John T. O'Donnell, 48, of Nazareth, Pa. He was charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit burglary. His bail was set at $10,000. Gary Kennedy, 46, of Edison, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and one count of fraudulent use of a credit card. His bail was set at $10,000. According to Lt. Joseph Shannon, public information officer with the Edison Police Department, Robinson is thought to be the leader of the group of three. Around the beginning of last month, various residences in Edison had been subjected to what Shannon said were "catstyle" burglaries, where the suspect would enter through second-story windows. Under the command of Lt. Ronald Mieczkowski, Detectives Thomas Lacik, Alan Engel, Jeffrey Diakunczak and Tom Kapcsandi, with the department's burglary division, began investigating the case. "They were actively investigating everything that was going on, trying to tie in and look for similar patterns of entry, and following up on some of the leads they had from some of the other burglaries," said Shannon. According to Shannon, the suspects stole mostly cash, jewelry and electronics such as cameras, laptops and flat-panel TVs. The total value of the pilfered goods was estimated to be around $30,000. "What had us concerned was the type of burglary and the times committed. A lot of these were committed during the evening and early morning hours, when some people were home. Fortunately, during all these burglaries, no one was ever hurt, but that was their MO: they would get to the second floor, cut the screen or smash a window, and steal what they can," said Shannon. Authorities believe the three suspects were involved with 12 incidents of burglary or attempted burglary. The first was an attempted burglary Oct. 3 on Morning Glory Lane, where a screen had been cut. After that, there was an Oct. 8 incident on Roxy Avenue, through a second-story window, followed by an Oct. 9 attempted burglary on Lavender Drive, again through an attempted second-story entry. There was an Oct. 12 burglary on McKinley Avenue through a second-story entrance; an attempt on Oct. 14 on Parker Road; and a burglary Oct. 18 on Utica Drive, which was not a secondfloor entry, according to Shannon. Next was a burglary on Oct. 19 on Firethorn Drive, through a window; a burglary on Oct. 24 on Wintergreen Avenue East; a burglary on Oct. 25 on Lucinda Court, which did not fit the typical pattern - the front door had been kicked in; a burglary on Oct. 26 on McKinley Avenue, where sus- pects gained entry through the second floor; a burglary on Oct. 28 on Cardinal Avenue where, again, entry was gained through the second floor; and finally, Nov. 1 at 9:40 p.m., a house on Savoy Avenue was burglarized. During the Savoy Avenue burglary, the suspects had, according to Shannon, gone into a shed in the backyard, retrieved a plastic patio chair, used that to boost themselves onto the roof and, once on the roof, smashed the back window and entered the house. That night, detectives were conducting surveillance. When they arrived on the scene, the suspects allegedly had already robbed the home and had left. Officer Shawn Meade, with the department's K9 unit, brought over Lucky, who immediately picked up a scent and began taking officers through several backyards. "The long and short of it is, the dog tracks and tracks and basically found the trail leading to an area on Garfield Street and Beatrice Parkway, and it's at that time, through the tracking, that they found Mr. Robinson trying to hide behind a tree," said Shannon. Robinson was found to have a pry bar beneath his shirt at the time. He was placed under arrest. At the same time, detectives still in the area noticed a white GMC van driving away. "They had information to believe this van was involved in some of the prior burglaries. They stopped the van and subsequently, through investigation, determined the people in the van, O'Donnell and Kennedy, were conspiring with Mr. Robinson to commit these burglaries, and were charged with their roles as well," said Shannon. Shannon said that Lucky and other dogs in the department's K9 unit have proved to be invaluable in cases where it's important to track suspects quickly. "When the police arrive on the scene after the crime is committed, you go on instinct, or whatever evidence is there, like what direction they fled in. With a dog, it takes the guesswork out of it. You know exactly where this person is running in. … We're very happy that these guys were apprehended," Shannon said.