Footprints In Snow Lead Melrose Police To Suspect

MELROSE, MA — A Lowell man who was attempting to break into cars in Melrose was arrested after an officer tracked the suspect's footprints in the snow, police said. Steven Goodrich, 29, was found under a playset in a Harding Road backyard. He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday morning on charges of disorderly conduct, attempting to commit a crime, furnishing a false name and possession of a false RMV document. Goodrich also had warrants for his arrest out of Chelsea and Lowell.

Police said Officer Richard Cooney responded to the area of Emerson Street and Orient Avenue around 3:45 a.m. Tuesday morning after a report of a man walking into driveways and peering into car windows.

Cooney followed footprints to Goodrich, who was in a dead end at Orient Place. Police said Goodrich fled through a backyard and jumped a fence.

Cooney, who could't find Goodrich in his cruiser, returned to Orient Place and followed footprints through multiple yards and along Stratford Road, Porter Street and Haring Road. It was there he found Goodrich, police said.

Goodrich allegedly couldn't get his story straight about what he was doing in the area. Police said they found an ID card that didn't belong to him, which they later discovered was stolen from a car in Wakefield. Police found two cars on Orient Place that had been entered and arrested Goodrich. He gave police a fake name during booking, police said.