Burglar Charged in 5 More Break-ins: Police

Convicted burglar Taurean Lawson might not be the smoothest criminal in the world, judging by the most recent charges filed against him by the Bethlehem Police Department.

Currently held at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford for a burglary conviction in August, Lawson was formally charged Thursday with committing five more burglaries in the city—all in South Bethlehem—between July 2011 and July 2013.

In two of them, according to the affidavit, Lawson cut himself and left behind some of his blood, which police were able to trace to him through DNA testing. In another case, Lawson was confronted by the victim, tried to run, and fell down a hallway staircase before fleeing, police said.

Lawson only succeeded in stealing items during two of the break-ins, police said. He allegedly got a $700 laptop computer in one burglary on Graham Place in July 2011.

In July 2012, police said, he got a Canon camera and a bag filled with lenses and equipment valued at about $5,000 from a home on the 500 block of E. Fifth Street. To get inside the home, Lawson forced open a back door—one of the places where he left his blood and DNA, police said.

The other place was a house two blocks away on the 300 block of E. Fifth Street, where the victim told police that someone had kicked in several bedroom doors, causing $750 in damage. Nothing, apparently, was reported stolen in that July 2013 burglary.

Lawson acknowledged both Fifth Street break-ins when detectives interviewed him in prison last month, police said. “DNA doesn’t lie,” he said, according to the affidavit.

Lawson, who according to the affidavit has “a criminal history featuring multiple arrests for burglary in New Jersey and Pennsylvania,” was charged with five more counts of burglary, five counts of criminal trespass and two counts of theft.

His arraignment was before District Judge Nancy Matos-Gonzalez, who set bail at $200,000.