2 Lakewood Businesses, Church Broken Into, Suspect Arrested

LAKEWOOD, OH — Police have arrested a man for a series of break-ins throughout Lakewood. The suspect is believed to have broken into Cleveland Vegan, Black Sheet Boutique, and the Gethsemane Lutheran Church over several hours on Dec. 18.

James Reardon, 49, was taken into custody on Dec. 21. Police believe he's responsible for four break-ins between Nov. 28 and Dec. 18.

Reardon has a history of break-ins. He was convicted of stealing from Gethsemane Lutheran in 2014 and is now accused of breaking into that same church again, Fox 8 noted.

Most of the break-ins happened Dec. 18 in the span of a few hours, Lakewood Police said.

A little before 4 a.m. on Dec. 18, the front door to the Black Sheet Boutique was damaged and cash was stolen from the cash register. Another alarm went off at Cleveland Vegan a short while later. The business reported that the front door was damaged and money was stolen. A final break-in was reported at Gethsemane Lutheran, where someone had reportedly crawled through the church's basement window.

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Police believe Reardon is responsible for all of the Dec. 18 break-ins. They also suspect him of another break-in at Cleveland Vegan on Nov. 28, during which cash was stolen from the restaurant.

Reardon has been convicted of several theft and drug-related crimes dating back to 1989, Fox 8 noted.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch