A man in Kingston, New York, allegedly engaged in a crime spree over the span of five days, during which he is accused of stealing, among other things, three vehicles. As a result, he was arrested three times, and three times he has been released from custody.
According to a press release issued by the Kingston Police Department (KPD), the man in question is 24-year-old Luke M. Heiser. The alleged crime spree began on Tuesday, June 9.
At the time, a victim reported to the authorities that someone had stolen their wallet. Additionally, the victim’s credit cards stored inside the wallet had been used.
The KPD began investigating the incident immediately after. According to them, the suspect was identified as Heiser.
First Arrest
Two days later, on Thursday, June 11, police officers were investigating a report of a stolen vehicle. During this investigation, officers came across the vehicle that had been reported stolen.
The individual behind the wheel was identified as Heiser, police said. Officers had found the vehicle after Heiser reportedly had a “personal injury auto accident” in Woodstock, New York.
The 24-year-old man was transported to HealthAlliance Hospital – Mary’s Avenue Campus in Kinston for treatment. After his release, he was arrested and brought to the KPD.
Charges, Released, Arrested Again
In connection with the vehicle theft, Heiser was charged with first-degree larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. Then, for the June 9 incident, Heiser was charged wtih grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and two counts of petit larceny.
Heiser was, however, released from custody with an appearance ticket. He, however, would appear in handcuffs the very next day.
On June 12, KPD officers were investigating the theft of another vehicle in Kingston. Again, Heiser was accused of being the one responsible for the vehicle theft.
Heiser found himself back in custody. This time around, he was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. The 24-year-old was arraigned in Kingston County Court. Then, he was, yet again, released from custody. And, apparently, this wasn’t enough for him either.
Arrested and Released Again, Again
On June 13, one day after Heiser was accused of stealing the second vehicle and two days after he allegedly stole the first, the man was arrested. Allegedly, he was in possession of another stolen vehicle, the third in three days.
Luke M. Heiser was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. That makes it four counts of grand larceny and four counts of criminal possession of stolen property. If convicted of his charges, he could spend decades behind bars.
Shockingly, after his arraignment, Heiser was released once again into the public. This time, the KPD attributed his release to the Ulster County Centralized Arraignment Part court.