Linked to $20k in thefts in Mercer County

A man was arrested by Kentucky State Police Monday in Bourbon County and has been linked to more than $20,000 of stolen property in Mercer County.

Capt. Scott Elder with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office said Dario Mauriz-Cruz, arrested in Bourbon County, allegedly caused the $20,000 in theft and damage during a one-day rash of car break-ins in Mercer County.

It’s believed sometime early in the morning on Oct. 7, Mauriz-Cruz broke into 19 cars in the county.

The break-ins “were all over the county,” Elder said.

Elder said police believe Mauriz-Cruz broke the windows out of the vehicles that he allegedly stole items from using a “window-breaking device.”

Elder said they have “several pieces of video surveillance” showing Mauriz-Cruz in the act. He would not comment further about the specifics of the investigation, except to say they believe he acted alone in Mercer County.

Mauriz-Cruz is believed to have been involved in car break-ins and thefts in about 22 counties, according to WKYT.com. Elder said he was not sure which counties, but that he also understood Mauriz-Cruz was possibly linked to crimes in other states, such as Tennessee and Ohio.

Boyle County Sheriff Derek Robbins and Lincoln County Sheriff Curt Folger said they currently aren’t aware of any cases their offices are working involving Mauriz-Cruz 

KSP Trooper Charles Loudermilk, with Post Six in Dry Ridge, said the investigation is ongoing at this time. He would not release any information regarding the arrest.

Mauriz-Cruz was no longer listed on the website of the Bourbon County Detention Center as of press time, but his mug shot and some of his charges are visible on arrests.org.

According to the site, Mauriz-Cruz, 25, is charged with one count of theft by unlawful taking of an automobile, $10,000 or more; one count of theft by unlawful taking of a firearm; first-degree criminal mischief; theft by unlawful taking, $500 or more but less than $10,000; theft of identity of another without consent; first-degree unlawful access to a computer; failure to appear; second-degree fleeing or evading police in a motor vehicle; failure to maintain required insurance; no registration plates; no registration receipt; and tampering with physical evidence.

Mauriz-Cruz is currently lodged in the Bourbon County Regional Detention Center, an employee confirmed, but could give no other information, and was unsure why his information was not showing up on the detention center’s website.