Oak Bluffs Police recover stolen $35,000

Multifaceted investigation leads police to a package containing cash and jewelry in the home of Jason Reagan.

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Jason Reagan was in court Friday to answer to probation violations.

Since Jason Reagan was arrested on Feb. 1 on multiple charges in connection with the alleged theft of $60,000 cash, jewelry, and electronics from an East Chop house on Jan. 25, Oak Bluffs police have had their sights on recovering the stolen cash, or what’s left of it.

Their persistence appears to be paying off.

A 60-page novella of multiple police reports that cover several intertwined investigations that have led to multiple arrests — including the arrest of Jason Willoughby in connection with a fatal fentanyl overdose death — states that on Feb. 16, Reagan’s attorney, Holly Smith, told Det. James Morse that Reagan wanted to cooperate with police. “I told [Smith] that I could not offer any rewards or deals, but would report to the District Attorney’s office if the money was recovered and if the information provided was fruitful,” Morse wrote.

On Feb. 1, police searched the Oak Bluffs home where Reagan and girlfriend Hillary Seaton live, but only recovered $7,700, which Seaton returned, saying Reagan had given it to her to buy a new car.

Seaton has been charged with receiving stolen goods in connection with the robbery.

Smith said Reagan told her that he and Seaton had initially hid the money in a home in Woodside Village, where Seaton visits as a home health care worker.

“Based on Attorney Smith’s statements from Reagan, it was now a clear possibility that Seaton’s involvement was greater than previously known, as she assisted Reagan in hiding money, and transported him around after the B&E,” the report states.

Police noted that when they interviewed the Woodside Village resident, he spoke highly of Seaton, and was initially reluctant to give information. However, in a later conversation, he confirmed that Seaton had left a bag in his apartment in early February, and she had retrieved it a few days later.

When Morse and Lt. Tim Williamson went back to the Reagan/Seaton house on Worcester Avenue, Seaton told them that her attorney, Matt Jackson, had informed her that Reagan was cooperating, and that he had told police she’d driven him after the robbery and helped hide the money in the Woodside Village residence.
“I asked Seaton why Jason would allege this. Seaton did not know, and wanted to know what was going to happen to her,” Morse wrote. “We stated she could be prosecuted as an accessory if this were true. Seaton said she had nothing to hide.”

But, according to the report, Seaton’s tone changed quickly after police told her they had spoken to the Woodside Village resident, and would also be checking security video. “Seaton began to ramble on and on without being asked any questions. She stated that she does not know what Jason does, and that she specifically does not ask any questions because she does not want to know. She stated she had been cleaning the basement and found something suspicious, and wanted to know if we wanted to see it.” Seaton then directed police to a pile of lumber in the basement, and said she’d found something unusual in it when she was cleaning. “We removed several pieces of scrap lumber to reveal cinder blocks. Inside the middle of one of the blocks was a black package. It appeared to be wrapped in black electrical tape … The package had the size and feel of a bundle of currency,” the report states.

Seaton told police she had no idea what it was, and that she had never seen it before.

“Once at the station, I photographed the package before examination; I observed that stuck inside the folds of black electrical tape was a single strand of long red hair … It should be noted that Seaton has long red hair,” Morse wrote.

Inside the package, police found $35,000 in $100 bills, and gold and silver jewelry. With the $7,700 returned by Seaton, a total of $42,700 has been recovered so far.

Police also got information about Reagan’s change in spending habits before and after the date of the robbery from a personal trainer whose fiancée is friends with Reagan’s ex-wife. The man told Oak Bluffs Det. Jeffrey LaBell that he became aware of Reagan’s arrest after reading about it in The Times on Feb. 13. He said on Jan. 24, the day before the East Chop heist, Reagan texted him asking for $100 so he could buy medication for his family. “I know the day after the break-in, Reagan was seen on surveillance footage at Cumberland Farms in Vineyard Haven buying prepaid credit cards with a large amount of cash, meaning if he had the cash on the 24th, he wouldn’t have been asking for money,” LaBell wrote.

On Jan. 24, the trainer said Reagan gave him $1,000 in cash in $100 bills as prepayment for personal training. “Reagan told him he won the money on scratch tickets,” the report states.

The investigation remains open.

On Friday, March 16, Reagan appeared in district court for hearings on two probation violations. He agreed to serve one year, concurrently, for both violations, minus time served. For the first violation he was charged with operating under the influence of drugs, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and possession of heroin. In the second violation, he was charged with assault and battery on a family member, and resisting arrest.

Prosecutors would not entertain any potential deals for the charges pending from his Feb. 1 arrest.

He will go before the judge for a pretrial hearing on Monday, March 26.