Police say fingerprints, a detailed description of stolen items, and good recording keeping by pawn shop owners helped them identify a pair of burglars.
According to the Mesa Police Department, on October 1, 2021, around 6:30 a.m., officers responded to a burglary at an apartment located at 960 W. Southern Mesa, AZ. A witness told officers that he watched two people take items from the apartment through a broken bedroom window and then load them into a white Chevy S10 pickup truck with a camper shell over the bed.
When officers arrived, the suspects had already fled, but officers were able to collect several pieces of evidence left behind, to include latent prints.
The victim described the stolen items with such detail, some of which were old family heirlooms, allowing officers to search for these items at local pawn shops.
On October 3, 2021, one item was located at a shop that obtained the subject’s photo ID and fingerprint as part of the transaction. The subject was later identified as 36-year-old William Cloutier.
Another item from the burglary was pawned at the same shop by a different subject, identified as 30-year-old Frederick Fernandez, who also submitted a photo ID and print.
On October 5, 2021, Fernandez pawned six additional stolen items from the burglary at a different pawn shop that also obtained his photo ID and print as part of the transaction process.
On October 6, 2021, officers learned that the latent print taken from the broken window matched the print of Fernandez.
On October 12, 2021, Cloutier pawned three more stolen items from the burglary at a third pawn shop. Like the other two, this pawn shop also required a photo ID and fingerprint to complete the transaction.
Cloutier and Fernandez were taken into custody on October 13, 2021. Both men admitted to committing the burglary and pawning the items for money.
While Cloutier was left alone in an interview room, he voiced to officers that he wanted to “go outside” and said, “I’m not staying in here.” Cloutier used a chair to stand up on and began pulling ceiling tiles down from the roof, causing about $1000 worth of damage.
William Cloutier was booked into jail for the following charges and held on a $2500 bond:
- 1 count ARS 13-1507A- 2nd Degree Burglary, a class 3 felony
- 2 counts ARS 13-2307B- Trafficking Stolen Property, a class 2 felony
- 1 count ARS 13-2503A2- Escape in the 2nd Degree, a class 5 felony
- 1 count ARS 13-1602A1- Criminal Damage, a class 6 felony
Frederick Fernandez was booked into jail for the following charges and held on a $10,550 bond:
- 1 count ARS 13-1507A- 2nd Degree Burglary, a class 3 felony
- 2 counts ARS 13-2307A- Trafficking Stolen Property, a class 2 felony
- 1 active MCSO Warrant