BY KAREN F. RILEY
Correspondent
PLUMSTED — A suspect has been arrested in connection with the recent burglaries of several stores on Main Street in the downtown New Egypt section of the municipality.
The arrest was made at 3 a.m. Dec. 15, according to Plumsted police Lt. George Titko. The suspect, Lance Boone, 18, of Plumsted, was charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of theft.
Boone is being held in the Ocean County jail, Toms River, on $80,000 bond. The investigation into the store burglaries is continuing, Titko said.
Some of the stolen property, including jewelry, has been recovered and the police are hopeful that more will turn up as the investigation continues.
On the morning of Dec. 10, editor Bob Vosseller reported that the door of the New Egypt Press was open, although nothing was taken from the newspaper’s offices. That incident is not believed to be related to the burglaries that followed.
Over the course of three days, Dec. 10-12 — Scott’s Market, Bella Jewels and Anthony’s Pizza, all on Main Street, were burglarized.
Jessica Stephens, the owner of Bella Jewels, reported that she lost $15,000 worth of jewelry inventory during the burglary at her business.
An attempt was made to break into Agway but was unsuccessful.
Scott’s Market recently underwent extensive renovations, and it was reported that cash and lottery tickets were stolen during the burglary.
“The best protection against theft and burglary is to secure the building as well as possible and use an alarm system,” Titko advised.
Pat Gale, former president of the business merchants association, said, “My sympathies go out to those who were broken into. It’s devastating when people have invested a lot into their business and they lose merchandise this close to the holidays. I urge the members of the community who still have shopping to do for the holidays to show your support to the businesses that support our communities.
“I would love to see the public rally around these businesses, because when the PTA, Scouts, Elks and other organizations need support, it is these businesses who donate, and now they need our help,” Gale said.
Mayor Ronald S. Dancer praised the police department for the hard work that led to the apprehension of a suspect in less than 72 hours.
Many of the stores on Main Street will be staying open until 8 or 9 p.m. to accommodate area shoppers, according to Stacey Reed, owner of The Broken Porch.