By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
Shoplifting, car break-ins and credit card theft are among the crimes that have kept Middletown police busy as of late.
The department made six arrests for the various crimes in the last 11 days.
Details after the jump.
Three township men are accused of conducting a credit card fraud that resulted in $1,556.45 in unauthorized transactions.
James Guadagno, 36, of Navesink River Road, Christopher Newrock, 22, of Evergreen Terrace, and Edward Malek, 23, of Clinton Avenue, were arrested and charged with conspiracy and fraudulent use of a credit card after a joint investigation between the police and United States Secret Service.
Police said Malek knew the unnamed victim and stole their credit card. He, Guadagno and Newrock then set up a fake Paypal account to access the card and receive cash from fraudulent transactions made from the account, Detective Lieutenant Steve Dollinger said.
Malek was in possession of the credit card when he was arrested and was also charged with theft after police connected him to jewelry stolen from the victims, Dollinger said.
He was held on $22,500 bail, while Guadagno and Newrock were released on a summons pending a court appearance.
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On March 12, police arrested a 32-year-old man for attempting to swipe a pair of sunglasses at Sears on Route 35, Dollinger said.
Todd Gunderson, of Grove Street, was arrested at about 5p Saturday and charged with shoplifting after store security saw him attempting to take the pair of glasses from the store, Dollinger said.
He was processed and released on a summons pending a court appearance.
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Two young men were arrested earlier this month for allegedly breaking into cars and stealing various items from them, Dolliner said.
Eighteen-year-old Joshua Lindner, of Kimberly Drive, and Joseph Wyckoff, 19, of Nautilus Drive, were arrested March 3 and charged with burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy for breaking into and stealing from cars in the area of Joycee Court, police said.
The two broke into at least five vehicles and stole various items, Dollinger said.
Wyckoff received an additional charge of possession of less than 50 milligrams of marijuana when police found the marijuana in his car during the course of the investigation.
Both were released from jail on summonses pending a court appearance.
