(Michigan City, IN) - The ankle bracelet of a work release offender reportedly helped authorities tie him to a burglary of a Michigan City manufacturing company.
Pedro Lopez, 20, of La Porte is still being held in the La Porte County Jail after being taken into custody on April 12th. He is accused of breaking a window in late November to enter Midwest Wheelcoaters at 800 Royal Road on the city’s northeast side, where an undisclosed amount of money was taken from an office therein along with a laptop computer.
Lopez, who formerly worked at the company, was wearing a GPS monitor on his ankle as required under his six-month sentence with La Porte County Community Corrections for a Resisting Law Enforcement conviction, according to court documents.
Once he was located several weeks later, Lopez reportedly denied committing the burglary. However, police said, the satellite tracking device monitoring his whereabouts continuously placed him at that location during the time it was believed the burglary occurred.
In addition, money was found inside a vehicle belonging to Lopez after police responded to a report of a vehicle traveling on railroad tracks close to the burglary's location, found abandoned once authorities arrived.
