SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A 19-year-old man was arrested after several garages were burglarized in a gated community in Scottsdale.
Seven burglaries occurred inside the Mirage Crossing gated community near Shea Boulevard and 114th Street between Aug. 13 and 25.
Scottsdale police Officer David Pubins said Michael Wells became a possible suspect after the investigation revealed that he was someone who lived in the community and also had a prior history of burglary and theft.
Detectives looked at Wells' recent pawn history and found items that fit the descriptions of things that were stolen, including a bicycle with an identification mark that was previously applied by the owner.
On Tuesday afternoon, Scottsdale police officers served a search warrant at Wells' home and found stolen property from previous burglaries.
Pubins said Wells admitted his involvement in the incidents.
He was taken into custody and faces charges of burglary and trafficking in stolen property.
According to Pubins, approximately half of all garage burglaries are from opened or unsecure garages. He said closing and securing garage doors are the best way to defend against this very preventable type of crime.
