B OYNTON B EACH P OLICE D EPARTMENT OFFICE OF MEDIA RELATIONS
100 East Boynton Beach Blvd. Boynton Beach, FL 33425
Jeffrey S. Katz Chief of Police
Phone (561) 742-6191 Fax (561) 742-6185
A CFA Accredited Law Enforcement Agency
Stephanie Slater Public Information Officer SLATERS@BBFL.US (561) 436-4806
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 27, 2013
Police arrest man who committed dozens of burglaries to homes in senior living community BOYNTON BEACH – Detectives today announced the arrest of the man responsible for more than two dozen burglaries to residences in Newport Place, an independent living facility on Northwest 7th Court. Darius Harris, 20, of Lake Worth, has been charged with three counts of grand theft from a person over 65 and three counts of burglary to a dwelling. Detectives will file additional charges against him in the coming days. Police saw a significant spike in burglary complaints at Newport Place in September. Residents reported thousands of dollars in jewelry being stolen. On Nov. 19, security officers at Newport Place observed Harris leave his post as a server in the dining room to go up the stairs to one of the complexes. Harris then quickly returned to his designated spot in the dining room. That same day, there were two burglary reports of jewelry items missing. The following day, security officers called detectives after they saw Harris exiting a resident’s home. Police officers conducted a traffic stop on Harris, who has a suspended license, as he left Newport Place. They found pieces of jewelry on the vehicle’s passenger seat. Officers then went to his grandmother’s house in Lake Worth and obtained consent to search his room. There, they located more than 100 pieces of jewelry believed to have been stolen from residences in Newport Place. Harris confessed to committing more than two dozen burglaries to residences in Newport Place beginning in January of this year. Harris is currently being held in the Palm Beach County Jail. Police would like to use this opportunity to remind people who live in these types of communities, as well as their family members, to properly secure and catalog their valuables. This can be done numerous ways, including by getting a small safe and photographing each item.