Crime & Safety

Alleged Serial Burglar Needed Cash To Feed Heroin Addiction

Justin T. Bennett confessed to a long list of burglaries in East Hampton, court documents show.

Facing multiple burglary charges and serious jail time, Springs resident Justin T. Bennett told the court on Friday he's ready to get clean.

Bennett, who is being held on $100,000 cash bail in connection to a multi-jurisdictional investigation into burglaries on the South Fork, is an addict who turned to break-ins to raise money for his heroin fix, according to a statement he gave East Hampton Town police after his arrest on Thursday. 

Police charged him with 16 burglaries in East Hampton that resulted in the loss of more than $126,000 in jewelry, cash and prescription medications being stolen, they said. More charges are expected in other jurisdictions and a grand jury indictment is expected. 

"I suffered a back injury several years ago and I was given prescription pain killers without question, but in recent years it's been harder and harder to get prescribed the opiates for the pain," Bennett wrote in his statement Patch reviewed. "It's gotten to a point that I wasn't able to get pills anymore. Buying pills was way to [sic] expensive and I was turned onto heroin because it's an opiate and it's cheap." 

Bennett, who lives in Springs but grew up in the Sag Harbor area, told police he's been a heroin addict for two years. He worked steadily until the winter of 2012, when he had a falling out with his boss. With no cash, he turned to burglary, something he said he's embarrassed about. Bennett told police he'd fence the jewelry in the New York City area so he'd have money to get high.

In his statement, he apologized to those he harmed.

"My addiction has made me do things that otherwise I wouldn't have done had I been clean and sober," he said. 

Bennett admitted to more than a dozen burglaries and attempted burglaries in the Town of East Hampton between January and October 2013, as well as burglaries committed in the Bridgehampton, Noyac and Sag Harbor area. He faces additional charges in the Southampton Town and Sag Harbor Village police jurisdictions. 

All of the burglaries were committed during the day. In all but one instance, in early January, he never forced entry. Instead, he'd look for a hide-a-key, an open window or door. In a few instances, he got caught when houses weren't unoccupied like he'd thought. He told the person at home he was looking for his dog and then left quietly. 

Police would not say exactly when they developed him as a suspect, but they stopped him in his girlfriend's black 2003 Toyota Carolla — one of the cars he used to get around to commit the burglaries, he said — on Route 114 in East Hampton on Thursday afternoon. The registration on the car had been suspended for an insurance lapse just a week earlier. He also used his white Jeep Grand Cherokee, he said.

The most recent burglary he is charged with, in East Hampton, occurred on Oct. 16 on Washington Avenue, not far from his house. 

On Friday, he was arraigned in East Hampton Town Justice Court on 14 counts of second-degree burglary, a felony; two counts of attempted second-degree burglary, also a felony; one count of criminally possessing a hypodermic instrument, a misdemeanor; and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation.

Bennett was brought into court in handcuffs, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and only a pair of socks — his shoes were taken as part of the investigation, Detective Lt. Chris Anderson said. In his confession, he spoke of wearing a particular pair of Nike Air Max sneakers to at least one of the burglaries. 

"These are very, very serious charges," Justice Lisa R. Rana said before setting bail. Rana told Bennett she hopes he can get into some kind of treatment program and "start you on a road to recovery." 

"I want to get clean," Bennett told the justice. "I'm very sorry for what I've done."

"I don't want you to speak about specific charges," Rana said, as the proceeding was meant for arraignment purposes only. 

His Legal Aid Society attorney entered a plea of not guilty on Bennett's behalf. She said her client was a lifelong East End resident, who worked for 16 years for a window company, but he is now unemployed. 

Dan Cronin, an assistant district attorney, requested $160,000 cash bail — $10,000 for each of the felony charges. Rana settled on $100,000 cash, $200,000 bail. 

His father hugged his son his court, and told him he loved him. Bennett, who lives with his parents on Fort Pond Boulevard, apologized to his father and told him he wanted to get help. "I'm sorry for putting you guys through this," he said. 

The senior Bennett declined to comment after the proceeding.


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