Chapel Hill Police Make Arrests in Connection to Multiple Break-Ins

Chapel Hill Police have arrested three individuals in connection with at least two area break-ins, according to police reports.

21-year-old Penelope Shinkman Hernandez, of Cherry Tree Lane, was arrested last Thursday and charged with felony breaking and entering, felony larceny of a firearm and an additional count of felony larceny. Hernandez is also facing a misdemeanor count of damage to property.

This is in connection to a breaking and entering and larceny from a residence on Nuttal Place, according to police, where multiple handguns, electronics and jewelry was stolen.

Chapel Hill Police Lieutenant Josh Mecimore says the investigation leading to this arrest also found similarities in at least one other area break-in.

“That investigation, basically as you get into it, kind of builds and you find more information about other cases,” Mecimore says. “That’s why some of those take longer than others.”

Mecimore says two other suspects have been charged. 23-year-old Jason Maurice Patterson and 21-year-old Logan Sinclair Gray, both of 500 Umstead Drive, were both charged with felony possession of stolen goods and felony maintaining a dwelling, which is a narcotics charge.

“When they were charged with possession of stolen goods, some of that property was tied back to another unrelated break-in that may have either been the same people,” Mecimore says, “or, at the very least, they were in possession of property from that break-in.”

Patterson and Gray were both arrested in late October, but Hernandez was just taken into custody late last week.

Mecimore would not rule out additional charges or additional arrests being made.

“It’s been a lengthy investigation, several months long, that has led to some charges here and there,” Mecimore says. “And it is still labeled as an open and ongoing investigation.”