TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) - A 43-year-old Taunton man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a home break-in prosecutors say may be related to others in which a man entered victims' bedrooms.
Prosecutor Jeff Dailey said he expects more charges will be filed against Miguel Erickson as police investigate three other break-ins in Taunton. In some, women said a suspect touched them as they slept, even if a man was also asleep beside them.
Dailey said the current charge involves an Oct. 10 burglary at the home of a 58-year-old woman on Erickson's street.
Erickson claimed when he was confronted that he was returning the ladder, threw it down, and then ran away, according to Dailey.
Dailey told The Taunton Daily Gazette the woman heard noises, but didn't find anything and feel asleep in a chair. Dailey said a neighbor saw Erickson leave the house on a ladder, carrying a duffel bag.
Dailey asked for $500,000 bail, saying Erickson has a criminal record dating to 1988 that includes several burglary convictions. Erickson's court-appointed bail attorney Michael Brothers said he had a good record of attending his previous court hearings and asked for $8,000 bail.
Taunton police arrested Erickson on Saturday and carried out a search warrant at his home for evidence in other break-ins.