Man charged with theft after allegedly taking items from cars

MANCHESTER, NH – John Keeley, 33, of Manchester, was arrested April 21, after he was allegedly caught by police taking things from parked cars.

Police say shortly after 3:15 a.m., Officer Matt Mara was dispatched to the area of Brown Avenue and Goffs Falls Road for a suspicious subject “going through vehicles.” Officer Mara observed a male subject walking in the area, so he conducted a field stop and identified the man as Keeley, who was walking in the area.

A subsequent search revealed Keeley was in possession of a checkbook, an insurance card and “loose change” valued at $87. The checkbook and insurance card belonged to a female who Keeley did not know. The victim of the theft was identified to police and a check of her motor vehicle confirmed the items had been removed from her car.

Keeley was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property and loitering. He appeared in the 9th Circuit Court-Manchester on April 21.

The City of Manchester has seen a slight increase in thefts from motor vehicles compared to the same time frame as last year. The Manchester Police Department started the Lock It or Lose It initiative in October of 2014. The initiative began as a friendly reminder for people to lock their vehicles when left unattended. Statistical data reflects over 50 percent of items removed from cars by thieves are taken from unlocked vehicles.

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