Significant theft at Dartmouth business leads to arrest of local man on several charges

A local man is facing several charges after a recent break-in at an area business.

According to police, on Saturday, at just after 4:00 a.m., the Dartmouth Police Department responded to an alarm activation at Pearl Vision Center located at 83B Faunce Corner Road in Dartmouth.

Upon arrival, officers discovered the front door to the business had been smashed. Inside the business, glass display cases had also been damaged, and it appeared a significant amount of merchandise had been stolen.

Officers immediately began searching the surrounding area. During the search, Officer Peter Canuel located a male, identified as 51-year-old Andre Kerman form Fairhaven, riding a bicycle in the immediate vicinity. Officer Canuel attempted to speak with Kerman, however he fled the area on his bicycle and refused to stop. Officer Canuel followed Kerman and observed sunglasses falling from a backpack he was carrying.

Kerman was eventually apprehended and found to be in possession of a backpack containing numerous pairs of sunglasses with the price tags still attached. Further investigation determined the sunglasses belonged to Pearl Vision Center and were valued at approximately $51,000.00.

A sledgehammer was recovered from a bush in the immediate area. During the investigation, Kerman later admitted to using the sledgehammer to break the business window and display cases.

Kerman was placed under arrest and charged with B&E Building Nighttime For Felony, Larceny Over $1200, Larceny From Building, Vandalize Property (2 counts), and Burglarious Instrument, Possess

Pearl Vision Centers has been broken into on prior occasions within the past year using a similar method, and the suspect in those incidents matched the description of Kerman.

Anyone with information regarding this case or the prior incidents is asked to contact Detective Kyle Berube at 508-910-1760.