(Ithaca, NY) – Early morning on July 12, around 12:45 AM, Ithaca Police Department Investigators working a burglary suppression detail observed a suspicious person rummaging through a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat which was on a trailer in the parking lot of Bed, Bath and Beyond, 131 Fairgrounds Memorial Parkway. The suspicious person was observed exiting the boat with property that he had not brought onto the boat.
A uniformed Police Officer in a marked police car was requested to stop the suspect. The suspect actively fled, on a bicycle from the uniformed Police Officer and Investigators. The suspect was stopped in the 600 block of Clinton Street, but not before an Investigator and an Officer were injured (one requiring medical attention).
The suspect was identified as Michael J. Thomas, 33, of Ithaca. Further investigation resulted in the following charges/arrest of Thomas to include crimes committed on prior dates:
- Petit Larceny – Class A Misdemeanor
- Possession of Burglar’s Tools – Class A Misdemeanor
- Burglary 3rd – Class D Felony: Burglary of The Fall Creek Restaurant, 302 Lake St
- Burglary 3rd – Class D Felony: Burglary of the Lincoln St Diner, 309 E. Lincoln St
- Burglary 3rd – Class D Felony: Burglary of Safelight Auto Glass, 150 Cecil A. Malone Dr
- Burglary 3rd – Class D Felony: Burglary of Rosie’s Ice Cream Shop, 312 E. Seneca St
- Burglary 3rd – Class D Felony: Burglary of Milk Stand Restaurant, 215 N. Meadow St
People arrested by the Ithaca Police Department are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Additional charges against Thomas are anticipated.
Thomas was arraigned before Ithaca City Court Judge Wallace, and remanded to the Tompkins County Jail with no bail.
If you have any information that may assist with these investigations, please contact the Ithaca Police Department by any of the following means:
Police Dispatch: 607-272-3245
Police Administration: 607-272-9973
Police Tipline: 607-330-0000
Anonymous Email Tip Address: www.cityofithaca.org/ipdtips
