Gastonia, N.C.- April 7, 2023 - Gastonia Police Department (GPD) officers arrested and charged 48-year-old Mark Melton of Cherryville, North Carolina after Melton broke into several cars in the parking lot of a hospital during the evening of April 1. Melton then went into a nurses' break room located on the second floor of the hospital and stole property belonging to several nurses.
On April 1 just before 9 p.m., GPD officers responded to CaroMont Regional Medical Center located at 252 Court Drive for the report of a subject attempting to break into cars in the parking lot. Officers reviewed security video from outside the hospital that showed the suspect opening and rifling through a car that belonged to a nurse. The suspect did not obtain any property from her car. The video showed the suspect breaking into additional cars and stealing property.
While officers were investigating the car break-ins, they were notified that several nurses just discovered property missing from a second-floor break room. Officers reviewed security video from inside the hospital that showed the same suspect entering the second-floor break room. The video also showed the suspect leaving the hospital with the items stolen from the break room. One of the items stolen from the break room was a bag containing an AirTag.
Officers used the victim’s AirTag information to locate the suspect at a motel on Broadcast Street.
Officers located the suspect, now identified as Melton, attempting to leave the motel in a vehicle and noticed that Melton matched the description of the suspect seen on the hospital video committing the thefts. During the investigation, officers located the victim’s AirTag in a bag in the back seat of Melton’s car. Officers recovered most of the stolen property.
Melton was charged with felony larceny after breaking and entering, two counts of felony larceny from a motor vehicle, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held on a $30,000 bond.
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Mark Melton
