Three Suspects Arrested in Craigslist Armed Robbery
Billerica – On Wednesday, October 19, 2011 Billerica Police arrested Mark Mearn, 26 years old, of Lowell, MA and Joseph Beals, 24 years old, of Billerica, MA for Armed Robbery. A third individual identified as Brendan Mearn, 24 years old, currently homeless, who is also being charged in connection with the incident, is still at large. The arrests follow an incident which occurred back on September 22, 2011 in Billerica. That incident involved a male victim from Beverly, MA who advertised on Craigslist that he bought and sold gold jewelry. This person was contacted by one of the parties claiming to have gold jewelry for sale. The victim ultimately traveled to Billerica to meet with the party at an agreed upon location with the intention of purchasing a quantity of jewelry. When the victim arrived he was physically assaulted, threatened with a firearm and robbed of a quantity of money and property. The victim managed to flee the scene after suffering minor injuries and was treated at an area hospital. A canine dispatched to the scene of the incident tracked from the scene to an address associated with Joseph Beals; however, no suspects were located. Through various investigative leads, including the analysis of phone records, Detectives were able to file charges against the above defendants. Mark Mearn and Joseph Beals will be arraigned in Lowell District Court on October 20, 2011.
Update 1:00PM – Brendan Mearn has been arrested and sent to court for arraignment.
Any further inquiries should be directed to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Public Information Officer, Jessica Venezia Pastore at 781-897-8325.