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Richard Holmes evaded capture for two months before calling his former school resource officer and turning himself in to Englewood police a little under a year ago.
Holmes was wanted for snatching jewelry from people on the street in and around the city’s central business district, breaking into houses, and selling the proceeds from both — prompting police to call him a one-man crime wave.
The victims included a mother who had a $700 chain yanked from her neck while walking with her three children — ages 3, 5 and four months – and a 70-year-old grandfather who lost a 18K gold necklace valued at nearly $2,000 after getting punched and knocked to the ground.
Many of the victims were Hispanic, leading investigators to believe Holmes targeted them because the didn’t think they’d report the crimes, Englewood Police Chief Arthur O’Keefe told CLIFFVIEW PILOT at the time.
Englewood Detective Barry Miller already was eyeing Holmes for an unrelated theft that led to the recovery of several hundred dollars worth of pawned jewelry. At the same time, Englewood Detective Santiago Incle had pegged him for a burglary and theft on the city’s west side that involved a laptop and jewelry.
Investigators discovered that some of the goods were sold at an Englewood jewelry store, Golden Chocolate, that the city shut down after the owner admitting buying hot merchandise without checking identification or recording the transactions.
Police almost had Holmes a week before he turned himself in, but he bolted and lost them near the Teaneck Armory, O’Keefe said.
The indictment returned by a Bergen County grand jury charges Holmes with a dozen counts related to burglary, theft and trafficking in stolen goods; four robbery counts and two theft charges.
Holmes remains held on $100,000 bail in the Bergen County Jail pending a July 18 appearance in Superior Court in Hackensack.
MUGSHOT: Courtesty ENGLEWOOD PD
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