NORTHAMPTON — Police have arrested a New Bedford man allegedly responsible for numerous recent car break-ins throughout the city.
Ion Covalenco, 20, was arrested Sunday at around 8:30 p.m. after Northampton Police received a report of a man breaking into cars on Masonic Street.
A witness was able to provide police with a description of the man, who was located a short time later on Button Street, police said.
Police said that when they arrested Covalenco, he was in possession of stolen property linking him to a number of recently reported car break-ins. Court records show that at the time of his arrest, Covalenco had “numerous items in everyone of his pockets/backpack,” including numerous credit cards with different names, several cellphones, chargers and cash.
Covalenco is charged with three counts of breaking and entering into a motor vehicle, three counts of larceny under $250, eight counts of receiving stolen property under $250, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and possession of a Class A substance, subsequent offense.
Police also charged Covalenco with carrying a dangerous weapon after finding a set of brass knuckles in his pants pockets, and with assault and battery on a police officer after an officer was struck in the lower lip by Covalenco’s elbow, according to court documents.
In the process of arresting Covalenco, officers forced him to the ground and handcuffed him. At the station, Covalenco was unresponsive inside the cruiser and given two doses of Narcan as police believed he was suffering an overdose, court records state. An ambulance was called and once placed inside, Covalenco became alert and began fighting with responders, according to court documents.
He was taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital, where he refused treatment and brought back to the station.
He pleaded not guilty in Northampton District Court Monday afternoon to the charges. He is being held on $500 bail. A prosecutor argued Covaleno should be held on bail for multiple reasons, including his previous criminal convictions, two outstanding warrants and his failure to speak with probation and bar advocate Susan Miles.
“Detectives are still investigating this matter to determine where some of the property was stolen from, and the individual may face additional charges as the investigation continues,” police wrote in a statement on the Northampton Police Department’s Facebook page.
During the past week, police responded to numerous reports of unlocked vehicles that had been broken into on State and South streets, Trumbull Road, Madison Avenue, Stearns Court, Munroe Street, Harrison Avenue, Sanderson Avenue and West Street.
Police are asking those who have not reported recent car break-ins to report them to police.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.