DARTMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - A man has been arrested and is facing several charges in connection with a theft of more than $50,000 worth of designer sunglasses and frames from a store in Dartmouth on Saturday.
Andre Kerman, 51, of Fairhaven is charged with breaking and entering a building at night with intent to commit a felony, larceny over $1,200, larceny from a building, two counts of vandalizing property, and possession of burglarious instruments.
On May 9, police responded to an alarm activation at Pearle Vision Center on Faunce Corner Road at approximately 4:09 a.m. When officers arrived, they found the front door to the business had been smashed, display cases inside were damaged, and a “significant amount” of merchandise had been stolen.
Police said they searched the area and located a man, later identified as Kerman, riding a bicycle nearby. When officers tried to speak with him, they said he fled on his bicycle and refused to stop. Police said they also saw sunglasses falling out of a backpack he was carrying.
Kerman was eventually apprehended and police said they found numerous pairs of sunglasses with the price tags still on inside his backpack. Police determined the glasses were from Pearl Vision Center and were valued at approximately $51,000.
Police said they also found a sledgehammer in a bush in the area, and Kerman admitted to officers he used the sledgehammer to break into the business and its display cases.
The owner said this is not the first time someone has broken into her store. She said it was first broken into in August 2023, and 300 frames worth $60,000 were stolen. The store was then broken into a second time around Halloween.
“I just walk up and I said to the cop, ‘third time’s a charm, huh?’ And he goes, ‘You know what we caught him this time, so maybe it is for you,'” said Dr. Kate Marmelo, Owner of Pearle Vision Center.
Marmelo said she installed surveillance cameras, motion sensors, and changed the locks after the first two incidents.
“I don’t think people understand the black market for glasses. I have a case of Maui Jims, second time it was over 50 Maui Jim sunglasses, they retail for over $300 a piece,” she said. “This place means the world to me. I bought it when I was just over 30. I had babies at home. I put my life into this store.”
Police said the suspect in the 2023 break-ins matches the description of Kerman. Now Marmelo said Kerman was released on bail during his arraignment earlier this week, and she hopes justice is served.
“I don’t feel easy. He’s at home right now, one town over from me,” she said. “No, I don’t feel comfortable at all. I’ll feel comfortable when he’s behind bars.”
Anyone with information regarding this case or the prior incidents is asked to contact Detective Kyle Berube at 508-910-1760.
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