State police recover over $16,000 of stolen property, resolves several cases

GAYLORD — Michigan State Police believe they have solved several theft cases while recovering over $16,000 of stolen property.

A trooper from the Gaylord post was sent to investigate a breaking-and-entering on Aug. 14 at a business in Bagley Township. The business reported the loss of nearly $6,000 of equipment and supplies stolen from a trailer on its property.

The trooper searched the area and located another business with a camera facing the roadway near the venue. He contacted the asset protection officer and was able review footage and saw a man casing the business next door.

State police said the area behind the venue is known for occasionally housing homeless encampments, and the trooper checked the area and located a path through the woods that he said had signs of the theft. The trooper searched the area and said he found a tent with a tarp covering all the stolen property, along with items from five other businesses.

The trooper was able to identify the suspect by personal items left at the camp, state police said. The suspect is 19-year-old Gabriel Benjamin Murphy from Prudenville, and he was eventually arrested by the Gaylord Police Department.

Through the course of the investigation, troopers solved seven breaking-and-entering cases and recovered $16,317 of stolen equipment and merchandise.

Murphy was arraigned in 87-A District Court in Otsego County and faces one count larceny in a building, onecount receiving stolen property more than $1,000 but less than $20,000, and one count breaking andentering a vehicle with damage to the vehicle. He remains lodged in the Otsego County Jail pendingarraignment from the other cases against him.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: State police recover over $16,000 of stolen property, resolves several cases