Police arrest Alberto Garay on charge of breaking into former girlfriend's residence

Police responded after a neighbor called 911 to report a man climbing through a basement window.

SPRINGFIELD - Police arrested 23-year-old Alberto Garay on charges that he broke into his estranged girlfriend's house on Forest Street while armed on Tuesday afternoon to retrieve some possessions, which included a large bag of marijuana, police said.

Garay, of 17 Better Way, was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, carrying a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, possession of a firearm in commission of a felony, and breaking and entering.

Detectives Sean Condon and James Mazza responded to the scene of a reported burglary in progress. A neighbor called 911 after spotting a man going through a basement window. Moments after they arrived, the resident showed up, and the two officers were allowed to search the house for the suspect.

During the search, they found a large black bag filled with marijuana in the closet. The resident told police it belonged to her boyfriend, who she had recently broken up with, Delaney said. The woman told officers she was in the process of changing the locks on the residence.

Condon and Mazza continued the search and found Garay hiding in the house. He was found to be carrying a .38-caliber revolver and more than $1,000 in cash.

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