Police nab burglar in northeast section
Suspect lives on same street where incident occurred
Asbury police arrested two individuals they suspect may have been the cause of a recent increase in burglaries within the northeast section of the city, according to Captain Anthony Salerno.
On Sept. 17, 2013 at approx 1 p.m., police responded to a caller who reported an individual that they recognized as living nearby exiting their residence on Seventh Avenue, Salerno said.
With that information, multiple police responded to the residence of Kenneth Hilton, 40, where they allegedly found him inside his bathroom, he said. Hilton had an outstanding warrant out of Asbury Park, said Salerno.
Hilton was found to be in possession of controlled dangerous substances [CDS], drug paraphernalia and other valuable items believed to be proceeds from other thefts, Salerno said.
Hilton was charged with receiving stolen property, burglary to a structure, possession of CDS and possession of drug paraphernalia, said Salerno. His bail was set at $250,000 with no 10 percent option, he said.
Upon further investigation, Rasheeda Benjamin, 33, was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property, Salerno said. Benjamin, who is Hilton’s girlfriend, is alleged to have proceeds from a prior theft in her possession, he said. Benjamin was released on a summons.
Authorities recently saw a rise in burglaries in the northeast section of the city, particularly within the two blocks bounded by Seventh and Eighth avenues and Webb Street and Grand Avenue. They alerted residents through the Asbury Park Nextdoor.com social media website last week.
Between Sept. 1 through 17, that section of the city experienced 14 burglaries, up from four in September 2012, Salerno said. The increase represents a 287 percent rise from last year.
The majority of burglaries appeared to have the same “mode of operation,” Salerno said. This led authorities to believe most of the burglaries were committed by the same person or persons, he said. Salerno would not disclose the methods of entry used by the alleged assailant.
“The arrest of Kenneth Hilton and Rasheeda Benjamin was a huge break,” Salerno said. “We believe many of the burglaries will be cleared by the arrest as a result.”
Asbury Park Police Dets. April Bird and David Carrasquillo are conducting an ongoing joint investigation of the thefts in the area, Salerno said.
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