Billerica – On the evening of the Fourth of July 2012, Billerica Police responded to the report of a residential burglary at #21 Liberty Drive in West Billerica. The residents, who had just returned from a day of Independence Day festivities, found that their home had been ransacked. Officers responding to the scene discovered that the suspect(s) used a pry bar to force entry through a side door, after which they entered the home’s bedrooms stealing jewelry and electronics. Detectives responded and processed the scene where they managed to develop and lift multiple latent fingerprints inside the home and at the point of entry. Although there were no initial suspects identified in the crime, the latent fingerprints were submitted to the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, which manages the state Automated Fingerprint Indexing System (AFIS), which electronically catalogs all known fingerprints obtained from state and local arrests in Massachusetts, as well as allowing access to the national fingerprint database. The results of that search determined that the suspect’s fingerprints located at the residence belonged to Stephen G. Peterson, 24 of Billerica. Peterson, who is currently serving a sentence at the Billerica House of Correction on an unrelated conviction, will be charged in Lowell District for the following felonies:

• Malicious Destruction of Property
• Break and Entry Day Time
• Larceny from a Building

It is important to note that above charges are merely accusations and all individuals are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Any additional questions should be directed to Deputy Chief Roy Frost, 978-215-9653.