Monroe man charged with burglarizing the home of his former landlord

Monroe - A Monroe man who lost his apartment because he could no longer pay the rent has been charged with burglarizing the home of his former landlord. Village of Monroe Police Det. James Frankild said the arrest stemmed from an investigation that began during the first week in August when police were called to investigate a burglary at a Franklin Avenue home. The homeowners told officers that they had been away for a day and when they returned they found that their home had been entered and several items were missing, including a Play station and a laptop computer. Frankild said that while police were developing leads, the suspect in the case, Michael Berrios, contacted the victim. Police said Berrios told the homeowner that he had the Play station and lap top computer and would return them if the victim gave him money. “What we found out was that Berrios and the victim knew each other,” Frankild recounted. “Berrios recently rented a room from the victim for six weeks and when Berrios could no longer pay rent he was told to move out. “He broke into the home because he said that the homeowner owed him money and he took the items as collateral,” the detective said. After hearing from Berrios, the victim contacted Monroe police. A meeting place and time were scheduled for Sunday afternoon, Aug. 8. Berrios arrived, with what police said was the stolen property in tow. Following a brief foot-chase, Berrios was taken into custody. Berrios, 21, was charged with Burglary, Larceny, and Possession of Stolen Property and sent to the Orange County Jail on $7500 cash bail.