Girl Calls 911 As Intruder Flees Home in Woburn

A young girl interrupted a housebreak yesterday afternoon, and Woburn Police quickly captured the suspect.

At 3:03 p.m. Monday, an adolescent called 911 when she heard glass breaking as she entered her home. Police rushed to the scene and spoke to the girl’s father, who had come home and saw a man walking out of his yard carrying a hockey bag.

The man told police the suspect was white, in his 20s, and wearing a Bruins sweatshirt and a baseball cap.

Shortly after, another witness reported seeing a man putting a bike in a dumpster behind 627 Main St. Police responded to the area to investigate whether the two incidents were related.

While an officer was investigating the stolen bike, he saw a man matching the description of the house-break suspect get into a cab.

The officer pursued the cab on foot and stopped it by banging on the door.

Police spoke to the cab’s passenger, who was taken into custody. Gary T. Sparks, 28, of 627 Main St., was arrested and charged with breaking and entering in the daytime (felony charge) and larceny from a building.

Police recovered the items stolen from the home, including several pieces of jewelry and electronics, in the cab. Police believe the suspect gained entry by throwing a rock through a window and going into the home. 

“Without the direct and timely information given by the (witnesses) as well as the work done by all the officers listed above the (victims) would have suffered a great loss,” said Woburn Police.

Sparks was arrested at 3:37 p.m., about a half-hour after the original 911 call. He was issued a $5,000 cash bail at Woburn District Court.

UPDATE, 5:15 p.m.: Sparks has been released on bail.

In an unrelated housebreak, at 4:16 p.m., Edward W. Reid, 26, of 39 Hart St., was arrested and charged with breaking and entering in the daytime (felony charge), vandalism of property (felony), possession of a Class A substance (Heroin), possession of a Class B substance (Suboxone) and larceny from a building.

According to police, officers were called to a Green Street home for a report of a man breaking in and stealing money. The victim told police that Reid was seen running out of the home.

Reid’s description was broadcasted to other officers, and he was taken into custody without incident on Union Street at 4:55 p.m. Reid was issued a cash bail of $3,000 at court.