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Police had a warrant for Dennis Woods’ arrest for almost two months when they arrested him in North Wildwood, N.J. Friday.
Woods, aka Boyce, 37, of the 2400 block of American Street, allegedly is responsible for 10 burglaries that occurred throughout the city, including unsuccessful attempts in Whitman and Packer Park.
Police received a warrant for his arrest in connection to the first incident in North Philly June 24, according to police. It wasn’t until after the two South Philly jobs Aug. 11 and 12 that he was suspected of the other nine. Philadelphia and North Wildwood police arrested Woods without incident at 12:15 p.m. Friday at the Aruba Motel and transported him to the town’s police department.
He has been charged as a fugitive from justice in Pennsylvania, police said. As of Sunday, he was being held without bail at the Cape May County jail. Woods also had a warrant for a traffic offense in North Wildwood and a defiant trespassing warrant in Deptford Township. After being processed for the Jersey charges, he will be extradited back to Philadelphia for the burglary charges.
Police did not release any further information on his arrest.
During the 10 break-ins and attempted heists at pharmacies and bank ATMs, about six burglars worked in teams that allegedly included Woods and stole more than $100,000, drugs and merchandise, police said. The conspiracy began May 5 at Northeast Philly’s Delaire Pharmacy. It also included Northern Liberties’ Hyperion Bank June 22; Southwest Philly’s Rite Aid July 24; Northeast Philly’s PNC Bank July 29, Kmart Aug. 5 and Verree Pharmacy Aug. 9; Southwest and Northeast Philly’s Wells Fargo Bank Aug. 10; PNC Bank, 1544 Packer Ave. Aug. 11; and Wells Fargo Bank, 2710 S. Third St., Aug. 12.
Charges in for this incident had not been filed as of press time, but Woods’ record includes 22 convictions for or guilty pleas to burglaries, thefts, aggravated assaults and conspiracies — including a rash of eight local theft-related arrests in late-1997, according to court records.
Contact Managing Editor Amanda L. Snyder at asnyder@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
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