MASSACHUSETTS COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM BUSINESSES TownOnline.com - Local News: Laptop larcenies on the rise

Watertown Police are investigating the seventh in a string of stolen laptops which have occurred in the past month and a half.

Since late December, seven laptops, valued in total at close to $11,000, have gone missing from area businesses, mainly in Watertown Square.

The latest reported theft was on Feb. 9 at Vayusa Inc. at 85 Main St.

According to police, the $1,300 Compact Presario laptop was left at the office at 2:30 p.m., but when the owner returned, about an hour later, the laptop was missing.

The first reported incident occurred on Dec. 27 at Escort Limousine at 95 Arsenal St. The store manager allegedly left the store at 11 a.m. and returned at 11:35 a.m. to find a $1,000 laptop gone, police said.

Since then laptops have been stolen on a regular basis from Sasaki Associates, Omni Media, Video Link and the US Educational Group.

"We think they're [the thefts] connected," said Watertown Police Det. Lt. Michael Lawn. "Just from witnesses and video surveillance."

Police describe the suspect as a black male, 5 feet 10 inches, with a mustache.

Lawn said police are distributing pictures of the suspect to area businesses.

The suspect enters the businesses with an excuse, Lawn said, telling people he is looking for a job or needs to use the bathroom, but his main focus is to look for unattended laptops.

Lawn said he was unable to speculate why the man is so intent on laptops, outside of the obvious monetary reasons.

Laptop and computer theft is an "ongoing trend," Lawn said, saying similar thefts are taking place all over the country.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call police at 617-972-6500.

Christopher Loh can be reached at cloh@cnc.com.