Three Homes Robbed in Two Weeks by Same Man, Police Say

A homeless man has been arrested after Bensalem police say he burglarized two houses and an apartment in the past two weeks.

Michael Kretenko, 21, has been charged on multiple counts of burglary, criminal trespass and related charges and remanded to Bucks County prison in lieu of 10 percent of $50,000 bail.

Police say Kretenko's first break-in occurred on Aug. 21 at the Country Commons apartment complex at approximately 9 a.m. The victim said she saw Kretenko hiding in nearby bushes and asked to borrow a screwdriver prior to the alleged burglary.

According to court records, Kretenko entered the apartment through the second floor hallway door and 30 pills of prescription medicine were stolen.

The next two incidents occurred overnight between Thursday, Sept. 5 and Friday, Sept. 6 in a neighborhood near a wooded area where Kretenko lived, according to the affidavit. In the first reported incident, police say Kretenko broke into the home through a window and took a bag of apples, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and an iPad worth $500. The victim told police that the iPad was located on a table next to the couch where her daughter was sleeping.

Later that day, another report came in about a bike stolen from the front lawn of a home located on the same street. The victim searched the area and found the bike near the wooded area that Kretenko was known to be residing, according to the report.

Officers found Kretenko on Sept. 6 staying in a shed in a nearby neighborhood. According to police, Kretenko confessed to all three burglaries during questioning.

Kretenko was arraigned before District Judge Joanne Klein on Sept. 12. His preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 24 before District Judge Leonard Brown.