SPRINGFIELD, MA — A 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the theft of more than $24,000 in items and forged checks from a transportation company.
Richard Wright, of Springfield, was arrested April 2 by Springfield Police detectives assigned to the Crimes against Property Unit along with an officer from the Springfield Police Neighborhood Stabilization Bureau.
On March 21 at approximately 9 a.m., officers responded to the 200 block of Verge Street for a report of a breaking and entering at a transportation company.
When employees arrived at work, they observed that the business had been broken into.
A window and other equipment in the business were damaged.
During an inventory, employees confirmed approximately 11 key fobs, checks, phones and tools were missing.
A vehicle was also stolen from their property.
Springfield Police Detective Adam Provost assigned to the Crimes against Property Unit under the direction of Captain Trent Duda and Sgt. James McCoy began investigating and identified Wright as a suspect.
On March 23, a detective assigned to the Springfield Police Detective Auto-Theft Unit located the unoccupied stolen vehicle on Wendell Place.
As the suspect remained at-large, he is alleged to have cashed more than $6,300 in forged checks.
The affected vehicles were temporarily inoperable while the keys were replaced and reprogrammed, at a cost at or above $10,000.
The stolen tools belonged to an employee of the business and were worth more than $8,000.
Detectives applied for and were granted an arrest warrant for Wright and a search warrant for the home he was staying in.
On April 2, detectives located Wright at a home on Ridgewood Place and placed him under arrest.
During a search of the home and subsequent search of Wright’s vehicle on April 3, detectives recovered evidence and a majority of the items that were reported stolen.
Wright is charged with larceny of a motor vehicle, larceny over $1,200 (two counts), possession of a counterfeit note (three counts), breaking and entering into a building at nighttime for a felony, larceny by check over $1,200 (three counts) and uttering a counterfeit note (three counts).
