FOX 4 WFTX - Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples News, WeatherCape Coral police arrest "car-hopping" burglar
Member Center:
Michael MalaiseCape Coral Police arrested a suspect in string of vehicle burglaries in a neighborhood off Del Prado Boulevard. Most of the thefts occurred in the 1300 block of NE Van Loon Lane and NE 13th Place.
18-year-old Michael Luke Malaise admitted to Cape detectives that he had been in the neighborhood going from car to car and stealing items from the vehicles.
Malaise had been arrested on May 13 for allegedly attacking an individual who had been victimized earlier by an acquaintance of Malaise. Malaise was in custody for one day after being granted a conditional pre-trial release on May 14.
On May 16, Cape police detained Malaise's roommate on a probation violation. When asked about the vehicle burglaries in the area, the roommate said that he had seen a suitcase in Malaise's bedroom containing numerous stolen items. He said he believed that Malaise may have stolen them the prior night.
Police searched the home and found a suitcase in Malaise's bedroom with two CD players and two iPods. Other items found in the bedroom included a Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox360, two gold rings, six car stereos, a Nintendo DS, and a Samsung digital camera. The stolen property found in Malaise's bedroom matched the description of property reported stolen in the neighborhood the night prior.
