Crime is, unfortunately, a relatively common thing in many American cities. It can be very frustrating for residents who are the victims of a crime to watch and wait for police to make an arrest. Often, residents see little evidence that their complaints are being followed up on, and so they attempt to apply more pressure on local police departments.
When arrests are made, it can be difficult to determine exactly how many crimes the suspects may have been responsible for. Police, under pressure from outside sources, may feel incentivized to cast the blame for many similar offenses onto a single suspect, even if the suspect cannot be tied to each individual event. It then falls to the legal system to determine exactly what crimes, if any, the accused person can be convicted of.
Two Connecticut men and a teenager have been accused of committing over 1,000 car robberies in the last several months. Police say they aren't sure when the car robberies began, but it has been happening since August.
Two arrests were made on August 19, after a tip-off led officers to a 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old teenager who had apparently been pulling on car doors in an affluent neighborhood. Police pulled the pair over and discovered a number of items that had allegedly been stolen from nearby cars.
A 32-year-old man was arrested earlier this month; police believe he was working with the other two.
Officers have accused the three of committing a total of 1,000 car burglaries. The 32-year-old has been charged with various burglary, larceny and conspiracy offenses. Similar charges have already been filed against the 20-year-old, and an arrest warrant is pending for the teenager.
Ensuring that a defendant has their rights protected falls to the job of the criminal defense attorney. They will develop a defense to counter the prosecution, who is tasked with proving the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: NBC Connecticut, "Suspects in 1,000 Car Burglaries Arrested" No Author Given, Nov. 05, 2013