An alert Palmer resident led to Laviolette's arrest; the Monson police chief said additional arrests are likely.
PALMER – Minutes after Monson police contacted Palmer police about a duo suspected of break-ins in their town, one of them was spotted by an alert resident who saw a suspicious man trying to get inside a neighbor’s window.
Thanks to that neighbor, a house break on Cabot Street was averted on Thursday, and Palmer police arrested the man also suspected of break-ins in Monson and Brimfield.
Derrick T. Laviolette, 21, formerly of Monson, was arrested by Officer Kenneth G. White after he was found behind a Cabot Street home. He told police he is homeless.
Laviolette was charged with trespass, attempt to commit a crime (larceny from a building) and attempt to commit a crime (breaking and entering).
He denied the charges Friday morning at his arraignment in Palmer District Court, where he was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 bail by Judge Patricia T. Poehler. He will return to court on April 29 for a pretrial conference.
Monson police also charged Laviolette with two counts of felony daytime breaking and entering, larceny over $250 and vandalizing property.
According to Monson Police Chief Stephen Kozloski Jr., during an investigation into house breaks on Reimers and Nieske roads in his town, police discovered that Laviolette and William M. Visneau Jr., 23, of 9 Reimers Road, Monson, had been selling stolen property in Springfield.
Kozloski said his department called Palmer police to tell them about Laviolette and Visneau. He said “within minutes of that discussion,” the resident called about a suspicious man matching Laviolette’s description.
That night, Kozloski said Monson police continued to search for Visneau, and found him on Upper Palmer Road, where officers took him into custody. Kozloski said officers recovered a crowbar from Visneau’s car that they believed was used to commit at least one of the Monson house breaks.
Visneau was charged with two counts of felony daytime breaking and entering, larceny over $250, and vandalizing property, and a single count of possessing a burglarious instrument.
Visneau also denied the charges in court Friday, and was held in lieu of $50,000 bail. Visneau will return on April 13 for a pretrial conference.
Kozloski said additional arrests are likely as the investigation continues. He said Laviolette also has been linked to a break-in in Brimfield.