NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — New Bedford Police arrested a repeat offender in connection with a car break-in following a shoplifting investigation in Dartmouth.

According to police, South End patrol units were assisting Dartmouth Police shortly after midnight on February 6 as they were investigating a shoplifting incident at the Cumberland Farms on Rockdale Avenue and sought assistance in locating the suspect.

As police canvassed the area, officers located the suspect, as well as a vehicle police said had been broken into and rummaged through near Domino’s Pizza. Police said the owner of the vehicle was on scene and listed the numerous items that had been stolen.

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Police determined the items had allegedly been taken by Javier Montalvo, 45, of New Bedford. They placed him under arrest and charged him with breaking and entering into a vehicle at night for the purpose of a felony, as well as possession of a knife with a length that violates the city ordinance.

Dartmouth Police also charged Montalvo with shoplifting at Cumberland Farms.

According to police, Montalvo also had four open cases in New Bedford District Court for which he was out on bail. They said he has a lengthy criminal history, including 33 arraignments with 15 convictions for a variety of offenses, and that he also has a history of failing to appear for his court dates.

WBSM's Top SouthCoast Stories 1/22-1/28

Gallery Credit: Ariel Dorsey

Crime Rate Statistics in Southcoast Towns

Here are the crime rate statistics for SouthCoast communities, utilizing data from 2022, the most recent year available. Annual data is from the Massachusetts Crime Statistics. The number of crimes is a data collection of total arrests, DUI/OUI charges, violent crimes, and hate crimes. The clearance rate is the number of charged crimes divided by the total number of crimes recorded. We listed the SouthCoast towns alphabetically.

Gallery Credit: Ariel Dorsey

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