Winchendon man again facing charges of disabling women's cars, offering roadside assistance

MILFORD - A Winchendon man charged with disabling women's cars then apparently appearing as a knight in shining armor with an air compressor, was tracked on his latest alleged spree because he was wearing a court-ordered GPS required by a judge hearing a similar case against him in Western Massachusetts.

Alexander K. Yee, 38, became the focus of an investigation into incidents in Milford, Bellingham and surrounding communities after a young woman found her tire flattened outside the Target store on May 21, and Yee allegedly parked next to her car, according to authorities.

That woman told police she drove to a service station, filled the tire and prepared to drive off, only to find her car wouldn't start, according to court documents. She told police a man had been parked near her car, apparently waiting for her to exit the store, and had pointed out the flat tire, documents show.

In a later telephone conversation with an officer, the woman named Yee as a suspect, telling police she'd been researching tips on ways to avoid vehicle tampering when an article and mugshot of Yee that told of a similar case appeared, court documents state. She said she was "100 percent" sure Yee was the man she encountered in the parking lot, Officer Patrick Crosson wrote in his report.

As police investigated, a Winchendon officer called Milford police to alert them that Yee had been in their community and that he was known for "suspicious behavior," court records show. A probation officer confirmed that the GPS Yee was wearing showed he was in Milford at the time of the incident, the report states.

Crosson wrote that he spoke by phone with Yee who allegedly confessed to pouring juice into the gas tank of the vehicle and said he would not turn himself in because he was afraid to go to jail.

"Yee stated, 'Some people tap their foot as a tick (sic) - I like to make cars not start. I antagonize these innocent people for no reason'," Crosson's report reads.

The incident was the second in which Yee is charged. The first happened in Bellingham when a woman at Whole Foods noticed a vehicle with a man sitting inside had been parked next to her car for several hours, court documents show.

When she left work, the man pointed out that her tire was flat and offered to assist her using an air pump, but she declined and called a roadside assistance company, according to a police report.

An officer spoke with the man, who initially began driving away when they approached, and learned that it was Yee, reports show. But because it appeared he'd done nothing wrong, he was allowed to leave, Bellingham Det. Mark Auld wrote in his report.

Later that night, police were called to assist the woman when her vehicle stalled out as she headed home, court records show.

The woman reported the next day that her mechanic found water in her gas tank and a ring of water around the filling area of the tank, police wrote.

Auld, in his report, described instances in Gardner of Yee allegedly committing similar offenses and reportedly making lewd gestures and noted "it is unclear what his true intentions are."

In November, Yee was charged with similar offenses after allegedly disabling a car in a Southampton Big Y parking lot. He was released on $10,000 bail. He was also ordered to wear a GPS and was banned from Hampshire County by District Court Judge Jennifer Tyne.

In Milford District Court on Wednesday, Judge Richard Eustis revoked Yee's bail in previous cases and ordered him held without the right to bail on two counts of malicious destruction of property over $1,200 brought by Milford police and Bellingham police along with a charge of malicious damage to a motor vehicle in Bellingham.

Police in the area have, for a few weeks, been warning motorists of the incidents. Holliston police noted the reports of disabled cars and wrote, "The individual may let air from a tire or add a gas tank contaminant, then approach the female to offer help in the form of a battery pack, air compressor or a ride. As in all situations, be aware that individuals offering help may have in fact been involved in orchestrating the situation."

Milford police said they are concerned that they may be others whose vehicle were damaged and who may not have reported the incidents.

Yee is due back in Milford Court on June 27.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Winchendon man again facing charges of disabling women's cars