Police search for Miami criminal

By Ezra Blair - February 9, 2006

Edgartown police are searching for a Florida man they say broke into an unoccupied Katama residence over the weekend and fired bullets into the walls of that house and at nearby unoccupied dwellings.

Jorge Manuel Alvarez, 17, is also wanted in connection with a home invasion and armed robbery in Miami, Florida. Until they were contacted in connection with the Edgartown break-in, Miami police had been unable to identify Mr. Alvarez as a suspect in those crimes.

Edgartown police said Mr. Alvarez is believed to be armed and traveling in a stolen white, 2004 Honda Civic with another man, a woman and a small dog. Police said the vehicle could have one of two stolen Florida license plates - T55MQC or X13APQ.

Edgartown police have issued a national alert for police to be on the lookout for the threesome and the car they are driving. Police believe they have since fled the Vineyard, although they have not confirmed this.

Sgt. Tony Bettencourt of the Edgartown police department said anyone with information on the case should contact the Edgartown police at 508-627-4343. He said that Mr. Alvarez should be considered armed, and he urged anyone who spots him or the vehicle to contact local police immediately.

Sergeant Bettencourt said that his department received a report of gunshots in the area of Thaxter Lane at about 5:20 pm Sunday. Officers who responded to the scene found a car in the driveway at 16 Thaxter Lane, but did not see anyone in or around the house. The police recorded the vehicle's license number and other information and returned to the station.

On Tuesday, police received a call from a caretaker for the Thaxter Lane house who reported signs of a break-in. The house had been ransacked, according to police. "It was a mess," said Sergeant Bettencourt.

Police searched the surrounding area and found bullet holes and evidence indicating the use of several different types of guns. Sergeant Bettencourt said it appeared that a small handgun, two different shotguns, and 30.06 caliber rifle were all fired. Police found bullets fired from the rifle in the garage and living room of unoccupied neighboring houses.

As a result of the break-in, police followed up on the vehicle first noticed in the driveway Sunday night and discovered that the car had been reported stolen in Miami.

A search of the Thaxter Lane house turned up a receipt for a pre-paid calling card in the trash. The name on the receipt was Jorge Alvarez.

According to Sergeant Bettencourt, police called the homeowners who told them that Mr. Alvarez had been to the house as a guest in the past, but that he did not have permission to be there last weekend.

As a result of a Florida address found on the receipt, police contacted the Miami Police Department. A Miami police detective told Edgartown police that he was looking for an individual who fit Mr. Alvarez's description in connection with an armed home invasion and robbery. The Miami detective had not identified his suspect.

With the name provided by Edgartown police, Miami police placed a picture of Mr. Alvarez in a photo lineup and showed it to the victims of the Miami home invasion. They identified Mr. Alvarez as the man who had robbed them, police said.

Miami police immediately obtained arrest warrants for Mr. Alvarez in connection with that home invasion. Yesterday afternoon, Edgartown police obtained another arrest warrant for Mr. Alvarez, in connection with the break-in at Thaxter Lane.