Arrest and charges
Betts, who lives in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, was arrested in Edison without incident with assistance from multiple law enforcement agencies. He remains in the Somerset County Jail awaiting a court hearing.
Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald identified Betts as the suspect in burglaries in Bernards, Green Brook and Bridgewater townships. The prosecutor's office announced Thursday that the incidents occurred over a 10-day period in late October.
The charges include one count of first-degree home invasion burglary, two counts each of second-degree burglary and third-degree theft, and one count each of third- and fourth-degree criminal mischief, according to the prosecutor's office.
The October burglaries
The first report came from a Whitenack Road home in Basking Ridge on October 19. The homeowner discovered that rooms had been ransacked and a basement window shattered, investigators said. Possible blood droplets were also found, and a jewelry box holding costume jewelry was reported missing. Patch reported that surveillance footage showed a suspect with short blond and brown dreadlocks.
Green Brook police were called to Warrenville Road on October 22 after a report of someone trying to enter a house. Authorities said the man had lingered across the street, then returned to the property and climbed through an unlocked window. The reported losses included about $800 in cash and costume jewelry.
Police described the Green Brook suspect as wearing dark pants, a black jacket and black sneakers, along with a half-lid motorcycle helmet. A balaclava covered his mouth, and he wore a bracelet.
In the October 29 incident on Chimney Rock Road in Bridgewater, a woman suffered a wrist laceration during an assault inside her home, police said. The suspect allegedly took her cellphone to prevent a 911 call and stole jewelry worth approximately $2,850.
The woman received medical care. Investigators said the suspect left on an electric bicycle resembling a dirt bike. Police said he appeared to be wearing a black helmet and mask, a black-and-gray jacket, black shoes and a bracelet similar to the one described in Green Brook.
Investigation and request for tips
Investigators noted similarities in the suspect's clothing, helmet and distinctive bracelet across the cases. The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Burglary Task Force worked with local police departments on the investigation that identified Betts as the suspect in all three burglaries.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about these incidents or related burglaries to call the prosecutor's office Burglary Unit at 908-231-7100 or submit information through the STOPit app. The Somerset County Crime Stoppers' Tip Line also accepts tips at 1-888-577-TIPS.
