Crime & Safety

Medford Man Accused of Thefts in Stoneham, Winchester

A Medford man is accused of multiple thefts in Stoneham and Winchester, according to Winchester police reports.

By Mark Ouellette

A Medford man is accused of multiple thefts in Stoneham and Winchester, according to Winchester police reports.

On July 3, Winchester police arrested Gary Biddescombe, 22, of 200 Fellsway West, Medford, on several charges including larceny from a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property (vehicle), larceny over $250, larceny under $250 and receiving stolen property found on his person, according to a report.

At 5:09 a.m. July 3, Winchester police responded to the South Gateway area for a report of four men breaking into vehicles, according to a report. A woman leaving her home saw a white man with light-colored hair and of a slender build, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and shorts sitting in her unlocked vehicle parked in the driveway, according to a report. He fled on foot down South Gateway toward Main Street with three other men, described as two white men and a black man, all of which were wearing white t-shirts, according to a report. Medford police were notified.

The woman told police nothing appeared to be taken from her vehicle, but about $5-10 in change was stolen from her husband's vehicle, according to a report. 

Police began searching the area for the suspects and came across a 2009 white Honda Accord parked in the wrong direction, with its windows open and keys on the front seat, according to a report. After speaking with the owner of the vehicle, police learned that the car had been stolen from a Heather Lane resident in Stoneham, the report adds.

Over the scanner, Winchester police heard Medford officers were chasing suspects matching a witness's description in the Winford and Winthrop Streets area along the Medford-Winchester line, according to a report. With assistance from Medford police officers, Winchester police were able to apprehend one of the four suspects, the report adds.

After handcuffing the suspect, later identified as Biddescombe, police searched him and reportedly found two woman's silver bracelets, lady's diamond ring, small woman's red leather change purse, more than $6 in change, Samsung cell phone, $20 bill, $10 bill and a men's black leather wallet with Biddescombe's ID in it.

The witness visited Winchester police station and claimed she was "90 percent" certain that Biddescombe was the man she saw in her car, according to the report.

Police had the stolen Honda Accord towed to the station for processing and told the owner he would receive the car as soon as they completed the search, according to the report.

Winchester police received a call from Stoneham police about a pair of Ray-Ban prescription sunglasses that were found in the middle console of the stolen Honda Accord which were stolen from another Heather Lane resident's vehicle, according to the report. The glasses were later released to their owner.

After being read his Miranda warning and understanding his rights, Biddescombe reportedly spoke with Winchester officers. He reportedly consumed a Zanax pill earlier that evening at his home in Medford before being picked up by a person called "Lanny" in a vehicle he believed to be owned by Lanny's grandfather. 

Biddescombe reportedly denied being in Stoneham that night, but did state that he had been inside the stolen vehicle from Stoneham and that his fingerprints would be found inside. Biddescombe stated that he and Lanny went to Woburn earlier to smoke marijuana on a street corner, according to the report.

Biddescombe claimed that he and Lanny abandoned the car in Winchester on a residential street, and later went to Medford Square to meet men by the names of "Bob" and "Dev," according to a report. The four men allegedly entered about 10 vehicles in Winchester and Stoneham and stole items from inside them, according to the report. He claimed that the cell phone and cash found on him belonged to him, and the jewelry belonged to his sister, according to a report. 

Biddescombe later recanted his statement, saying that Lanny was a fictitious person and that he was in fact Lanny before invoking his right to remain silent, according to a report. 

It was later discovered that several overnight vehicle break-ins and larcenies were reported in Stoneham, as well as the North and South Gateways and Ox Pasture neighborhoods of Winchester, according to a report.

At 9:27 a.m. July 3, Winchester police responded to a North Gateway residence for a report of a larceny from an unlocked vehicle, according to a report. The owners, a Winchester couple, of a 2002 Nissan Maxima reported finding the passenger's side door partially ajar, and officers saw that the center console, glove box and sunglasses holder were open and the contents strewn about the vehicle, according to a report. 

The wife reported several items stolen from the car, including about $60 in cash and a gray earring-size jewelry box containing 4-5 keys to their childrens' homes, according to a report. Police advised the couple to lock their car at all times and remove any valuables from inside, according to a report. The items were not immediately found during an inventory from the previous larcenies being investigated by Winchester police, according to a report.

At 5:27 p.m. July 3, police responded to another North Gateway residence for a report of a larceny from an unlocked vehicle, according to a report. A man reported that sometime overnight someone entered his wife's 2014 Mazda CX5 through the driver's side door and stole $20 in cash, two pairs of lady's sunglasses and a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, according to a report. He also found a pair of house keys on the front lawn that had been inside the vehicle earlier, the report adds. 

Police advised the man to lock the car at all times and remove any valuables from inside, according to a report.


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