Suspect Tied to Five Doylestown Burglaries

The suspect arrested recently on suspicion of a burglary in Doylestown has since been tied to four more.

Doylestown Police Chief Jim Donnelly said Monday night that his department believes Robert Masten was responsible for five burglaries or attempted burglaries around Doylestown in recent weeks.

Three additional burglaries also may have been the work of Masten or others from his group, Donnelly said.

Doylestown police arrested Masten, 26, of Lower Southampton, on Friday, Jan. 13, around noon. They said he was on Crestland Terrace.

Neighbors spotted a man knocking on the front door of a home where a woman in a wheelchair lives, Donnelly told Doylestown Borough Council members at Monday night's meeting.

"That came as a result of the neighbors being alert and calling the police," Donnelly said, adding, "We were fortunate to get there in time to catch him."

The method of operation in all the recent burglaries has been the same, Donnelly said. A man, dressed in dark clothing, usually with a hood up, knocks on the front door of a house during the day. If no one answers, he goes around back and breaks in through a back window or door, Donnelly said.

Usually, another member of the group waits in a car nearby to make a fast getaway.

On that Friday, Doylestown police officers caught Masten coming out of the back of the property before he was able to break in, Donnelly said.

The thieves have been stealing jewelry, mostly, which they've been reselling easily at a gold-buyer's shop, Donnelly said.

Police believe the motivation behind the thefts has been a need for drug money.

Besides Crestland Terrace, recent burglaries or attempted burglaries have been reported in , the , , Frosterly Drive.

Doylestown Township Police Chief Stephen White also has , including one the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 5, in the 600 block of N. Shady Retreat Road.

In that incident, White said, the when the man attempted to break in. The would-be thief took off running when the homeowner screamed, and police were not able to catch him.

Both police chiefs have repeatedly warned area residents to be alert and to call the police immediately if they see something suspicious.