Police recently charged a Hutchinson man with five counts of felony criminal conduct and two misdemeanor charges.
Samuel Pinzon, 64, of Hutchinson had broken into a residence on the 1200 block of West Shore Drive twice in five days before he was arrested during a traffic stop.
On Dec. 3, an individual reported someone had attempted to break into her apartment in the middle of the day while she was still home. She was able to describe Pinzon and his vehicle and told officers the man was formerly her sister's husband.
The victim also told police she suspected Pinzon had attempted to burglarize her home the night of Nov. 28 and had entered her room while she'd slept. He'd allegedly attempted to take her cell phone but had left the residence without it. Two debit cards and a personal I.D. went missing that night but were later found in Pinzon's bedroom.
With a description, officers located Pinzon's vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. They discovered Pinzon's license had been revoked and found a hammer inside his vehicle.
Home surveillance footage showed a man of matching height and weight using a hammer to break in on both occasions.
Pinzon denied visiting the home and told police he'd been in the area looking for someone, but he was unable to provide an address for the person.
Pinzon was charged with two counts of felony first-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling, felony first-degree burglary with a dangerous weapon, felony possession of burglary tools and felony stalking. He was also charged with misdemeanor stalking and driving with a suspended license.
— Jack Hammett
