Monday, January 5, 2015

Don't Do The Crime

Thomas F. Bridges stands before Judge William O'Grady (from the lock up)

If you're going to break into the same house to commit a crime for the second time in less than a week you should think twice about wearing an item of clothing stolen in the original Breaking & Entering, as the owner may recognize it ... even something not normally all that visible:  underwear.

A neighbor on Lincoln Avenue called Amherst police early Saturday night to report a suspicious party in dark clothing "pacing and back and forth" at the rear of the house next door.  The first officer on scene noted fresh tracks in the snow leading to a basement door.

When the officer spotted a dark figure through the window he drew his service revolver and asked the person to come out, but he promptly fled deeper into the house.  Another officer ran into him trying to sneak out the back door, but he again withdrew back into the house.

Amherst police called for backup from UMass PD who arrived with two patrol officers and two detectives and Hadley PD also assisted with their K9 unit.  Officers stormed the house but the perp was nowhere to be seen, having climbed into the attic damaging the ceiling in the process (thus garnering the "destruction of property" charge).

By this time the owner of the home arrived and recognized the underwear worn by the intruder, as having been stolen on the New Year's eve break in.  Police arrested Thomas Bridges, age 25.

Thomas Bridges (mugshot)


Click to enlarge/read

In Eastern Hampshire District Court this morning the Commonwealth asked Judge William O'Grady to set cash bail at a whopping $10,000 because Mr. Bridges was on parole for two different criminal cases and the Assistant DA also pointed out he had 60 items on his criminal record.

Judge O'Grady set cash bail at $5,000 and continued the case until later this month.  Thomas Bridges was transported back to the Hampshire County Jail & House of Corrections to await trial.  



APD on scene Lincoln Avenue  with Hadley and UMass PD Saturday night 8:45 PM

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13 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2015 at 3:11 PM

    Another "Fruit of the Loom?" Sorry I couldn't resist

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2015 at 3:28 PM

    You missed the best part - his ears!

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  3. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2015 at 3:30 PM

    How do you recognize somebody's underwear? Was he wearing in on the outside? Did it have the victim's name written on it? Odd.

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  4. Larry KelleyJanuary 5, 2015 at 3:36 PM

    I pick up the official APD "statement of facts" from District Court tomorrow, so I'm hoping it will have a little more information about how the owner recognized the underwear.

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2015 at 9:42 PM

    Maybe it was a pink thong. (:

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  6. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2015 at 7:37 AM

    Drew his "service revolver" ah, cops have not carried revolvers for over 20 years, great detail

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  7. Larry KelleyJanuary 6, 2015 at 7:58 AM

    Just quoting what I hear in Court.

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2015 at 11:37 AM

    This could turn into a fascinating glimpse into the reasons some people mutilate themselves. Other than, say, the "look at me" angle.

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  9. Larry KelleyJanuary 6, 2015 at 11:41 AM

    Drugs could have something to do with it.

    His public defender did tell the Judge he "had a drug problem."

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  10. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2015 at 8:48 AM

    And apparently an underwear fetish.

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  11. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2015 at 3:11 PM

    Attractive ears.

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  12. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2015 at 7:13 PM

    Any idea when he'll be back in court?

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  13. AnonymousJanuary 10, 2015 at 5:21 PM

    Or back on Earth?

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