Security System Helps Police Nail Whipple Road Burglars

With an assist from a home security system, Tewksbury Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a burglary on Whipple Road, Tuesday afternoon.

Erica Ruane, 25, 15 Cannongate Road, Tyngsborough and Shawn P. Keefe, 32, 234 Stackpole Street, Lowell, are each charged with Breaking and Entering in the Daytime to commit a Felony, Larceny over $250 and Conspiracy.

According to Tewksbury Police Chief Timothy Sheehan, the incident began around 1:55 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4, when officers responded to a residential alarm at 666 Whipple Road and found that someone had made forced entry into the residence. 

A search of the area was conducted by the Tewksbury Police K-9 unit but it was determined that the suspect or suspects were no longer in the immediate area. According to Sheehan, witnesses told officers there was a suspicious small black car that was seen pulling in to another driveway close to the house that was broken into.

The witness told investigators they saw a female driver exit the vehicle, and walk to front door of the house at 666 Whipple Road and ring the doorbell.  The driver then quickly ran back to the vehicle. The witness said they then observed two men exit that same vehicle and approach the rear of the house. According to the witness, the two men quickly returned to the vehicle.

Police caught a break in the investigation when they learned the owner of 666 Whipple Road had a security system that included video recording.  According to Sheehan, the video recording system captured footage of a small black Mitsubishi pulling into the driveway and parking. It also captured video footage of the female operator and two male passengers that were allegedly involved in the housebreak, said Sheehan.

Armed with this information, detectives were able to identify the owner of the vehicle as Ruane and determined she had been driving it at the time of the housebreak.

Tewksbury Detectives working with Tyngsboro Police Department then tracked down Ruane and arrested her.

The detectives then continued to gather information, which led them to identify Keefe as one of the male suspects. With the help of the Lowell Police Department, Keefe was tracked down at a rooming house on Hurd Street in Lowell and arrested.

In addition, Keefe was found with a substance detectives believed was Heroin (7 to 10 grams) and several other unsubscribed pills, which were identified as Klonopin.  Lowell detectives filed charges for the drug offenses.   

According to Sheehan, the investigation is ongoing and detectives are working to identify and apprehend the third suspect.