Man Charged in Wilson Burglary Spree

Wilson police have caught up with a borough man they say went on a one-hour overnight burglary spree in his neighborhood more than a year ago that netted more than $3,800 in laptops and $1,600 in cash.

John Paul Fran, 35, was charged Saturday—almost a year to the day that a warrant for his arrest was approved. He was jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Court records say Fran, of 2140 Hay St., broke into five businesses within three blocks of each other on Freemansburg Avenue and Butler Street between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. Jan. 30, 2012.

In addition to the laptops and cash, Fran allegedly got away with a $150 cordless phone, a $180 safe and $220 in vehicle titles. He also is accused of causing about $2,200 in damages—mostly from breaking into the businesses, the records say.

Borough police say they spoke to Fran by phone on Feb. 22, 2012, and he gave them permission to take digital photos of him. The arrest warrant was issued April 4, 2012.

But the records do not say where Fran was from late February 2012 until he was charged Saturday.

Police used surveillance video from four of the five stores to help in the identification. The same person appeared in every video—a male wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, a dark-colored skull cap, baggie pants and dark shoes. And, he had facial hair.

The records also say Fran is tall—6-foot-3—and weighs 180 pounds.

The five businesses that Fran allegedly burglarized, and what was taken and what was damaged, are:

—George’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, 2049 Freemansburg Ave.; $350 cash stolen, $600 damage to the front door.

—Delsco, a flooring business, 2015 Freemansburg Ave.; Dell laptop valued at $700 stolen, $250 in cash stolen, AT&T cordless phone valued at $150 stolen, exterior door damage requiring $75 in repairs.

—Aunt Bessies Family Car Mart, 1650 Butler St.; four Toshiba laptops valued at $3,144 stolen, $400 in cash stolen, cash drawer valued at $350 damaged, $800 in damages to two windows.

—Easton Auto Exchange, 1845 Freemansburg Ave.; $600 in cash stolen, safe valued at $180 stolen, vehicle titles valued at $220 stolen, air tool kit valued at $80 stolen, garage door valued at $300 damaged.

—Butler Auto Sales, 1701 Butler St. Glass to front door shattered. No dollar amount of damages given.

A criminal complaint filed by Wilson Det. Christian Meehan also says:

—Police responded to a burglar alarm at George’s Pizzeria at 4:06 a.m. Jan. 30, 2012. Owner George Koury arrived and confirmed there was a burglary. The video shows the suspect breaking the glass to the front door and entering. He forced open the cash register, stole money inside it and left the building.

—Police responded to Delsco at 9:12 a.m. for a burglary report. Owner Samuel Delserro confirmed there was a burglary overnight. Video showed the suspect walking through the store with a flashlight and picking up a laptop.

—Police went to Aunt Bessies at 7:55 a.m. and talked to owner Gary Eckley. Video showed the suspect entering through a rear window, damaging the window in the process. He walked through the store, picked up laptops, and can be seen removing the contents from a cash drawer. Police also found a Stanley adjustable wrench on the ground outside the rear window that had been damaged.

—Police went to Easton Auto Exchange at 10:15 a.m. Meehan showed the wrench to a mechanic. The mechanic said the wrench belonged to the auto exchange.

—Police had responded to Butler Auto Sales at 4:43 a.m. after a burglar alarm went off. They spoke to owner Sheikh Ahmed and watched video that showed the suspect shattering the front door window and climbing through the broken door. He sat down at a desk and appeared to be looking for valuables.

—Meehan distributed a photo of the suspect lifted from the George’s Pizzeria video to the rest of Wilson police on Feb. 2, 2012. Two days later, a borough officer said he had spoken to the suspect. The officer said he thought the photo from George’s resembled the suspect.

Fran was charged with five counts each of burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking and criminal mischief. He was arraigned by on-duty District Judge Jackie Taschner of Palmer Township.