Posted on 08/19/2023 4:18:51 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A burglary suspect accused of dressing as a contractor to case homes has been given a new uniform — at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Philip Cotham, 38, was booked into the county jail on charges of residential burglary, criminal damage to property, credit card theft and receiving stolen property.
It is unclear if he has an attorney.
Albuquerque police say Cotham used to work for DaBella roofing company and used his old uniform — even at one point holding pamphlets to approach homes — before breaking in hours later.
Court records show since 2013, Cotham has been arrested on burglary, auto theft and fraud charges. In 2022, he faced rape and domestic violence charges, which were dropped when the victim wouldn’t cooperate.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court:
Police responded to three burglaries, between June 26 and July 28, in Northwest and Southwest Albuquerque. In one of the burglaries, nothing was stolen and in another thousands of dollars worth of damage was done and valuable items were taken.
The police reports and videos of the suspect were forwarded to property crimes detectives due to the similarities in the cases. Those who were burglarized told detectives they learned of other cases through people sharing videos on the Nextdoor app.
The videos showed a man in a DaBella roofing shirt ringing the doorbell and later the same man coming back and breaking into the home. In one video, the man had pamphlets in his hand, and in another instance, a neighbor approached the man in uniform.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
“The videos showed a man in a DaBella roofing shirt ringing the doorbell”
In the America I grew up in, answering an unexpected doorbell ring was perfectly fine. In TODAY’S AMERICA, the one run by Leftists (Ukraine War supporters), no one should EVER answer an unexpected doorbell ring.
Security cameras are cheap. I got a couple for $30 each. I can see who is on the driveway on my phone from any room. And it makes a record when motion is detected.
Sort of familiar, like second story men using their exterminating business to case future victims houses.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.