“Willoughby Hills man charged in 14 home burglaries; Lyndhurst resident leads police to suspect”

Willoughby Hills man charged in 14 home burglaries; Lyndhurst resident leads police to suspect

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 01:48 PM PST

Published: Wednesday, December 08, 2010, 2:45 PM Updated: Wednesday, December 08, 2010, 6:09 PM

LYNDHURST, Ohio -- A 37-year-old Willoughby Hills man is accused of burglarizing at least 14 homes.

Brian Allen is charged with a total of 45 counts of burglary, theft and vandalism. He is being held at the Cuyahoga County Jail on a $100,000 bond and is due back in Common Pleas Court Dec. 14.

An observant neighbor in Lyndhurst cracked the case, police said.

"The identification of a suspect was made possible through the observation and foresight of a vigilant resident," Lyndhurst Police Chief Rick Porello said.
"The resident observed a stranger walk into his neighbor's back yard and copied down the license plate number of his vehicle. When the resident learned his neighbor's home had been burglarized, he provided the plate number to police."

The chief said detectives then watched Allen's house on Par Lane and saw him carry dozens of stolen items from his car. Police confiscated about 100 items from three vehicles Allen used and his apartment.

Detectives in Wickliffe, Willoughby and Willoughby Hills are looking at their home burglaries to see if Allen can be linked to them.

In Cuyahoga County, he is charged in eight Lyndhurst burglaries, two in Maple Heights and one each in South Euclid, Beachwood, Maple Heights and Highland Heights. The crime spree began in July.

Authorities said Allen would knock on doors and walk away if someone answered. If no one came to the door, he would he broke in and steal electronics, including flat-screen televisions, I-pods, cameras, computers and DVD players. He also stole a 9-mm semi-automatic pistol, prosecutor's spokesman Ryan Miday said.

Allen was convicted in 2006 of aggravated burglary, theft, grand theft, vandalism and having weapons after a felony conviction. He has multiple other convictions in Cuyahoga County dating back to 1992.

"Lyndhurst residents are good about keeping an eye on their neighbors," Porello said. "We encourage them to continue contacting us when they see suspicious persons or vehicles, or when they have information related to possible criminal activity."

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