Police Catch Self-Storage Thief in the Act at Hazleton, PA, Self-Storage Facility
June 1, 2022
Police arrested a man last week after spotting him breaking into a unit at Axis Self-Storage in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Officers were patrolling 1000 S. Church St. Rear after a rash of thefts occurred at the property, according to the source.
Michael J. Tracy, 35, was parked in front of a unit and removing items from the space just before midnight on Thursday. When confronted, he told police he was helping a friend move. Officers then found bolt-cutters, a reciprocating saw and a large saw with a metal-cutting blade inside his vehicle. A locked padlock with no key was on the ground next to the unit, and the door’s metal-locking hasp was cut, the source reported.
Other items in Tracy’s vehicle included a glass smoking pipe, military gear including 10 flak vests and ceramic body-armor plates, and items taken from the storage unit. Tracy told officers he was paid by someone else to steal from the facility. He planned to use the money to pay fines he owed, the source reported.
Tracy faces two counts of possessing instruments of crime, and one count each of burglary, criminal mischief and trespass, unlawful body armor, theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a suspended license. He’s being held at Luzerne County Correctional Facility on a $25,000 bail.
Source: Times Leader, State Police Arrest Man in Act of Stealing From Storage Unit
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