LAKEWOOD -- A Willingboro man, who became known as the "Fourteenth Street Burglar," was indicted Tuesday on a slew of charges in connection with a string of home burglaries in the summer and fall of 2015, including the home of the township's former police chief.
Barry Walker, 37, of Willingboro, remains at the Ocean County Jail in lieu of $200,000 cash bail. (Courtesy of the Ocean County Jail)
Barry E. Walker, 37, was charged with burglary, theft by unlawful taking and unlawful possession of a weapon for allegedly breaking into former police Chief Robert Lawson's Seton Circle home that he shared with his wife and stealing jewelry, electronics, cash, a revolver and computer laptops.
The alleged burglary at Lawson's home was the first in an alleged crime spree that netted Walker an estimated $2.1 million worth of items, including electronics, clothing, cash and silverware, police have said.
The indictment charges Walker with more than 30 counts of charges in connection with burglaries at 16 different homes in Lakewood starting with Lawson's on June 13, 2015, and ending on July 9, 2016. A bulk of the residential burglaries occurred from June 2015 to Nov 2015, authorities said.
The indictment also charges Walker with one count of dealing in stolen property for allegedly selling silver and jewelry worth approximately $500 in Perth Amboy.
Walker was arrested on July 9 as he was leaving an apartment on Mattison Avenue in Asbury Park, a spokesman for the Lakewood Police Department, Lt. Gregory Staffordsmith, said at the time.
Walker had been spotted by a member of the Lakewood Civilian Safety Watch after an alarm was activated Nov. 6, 2015, at a residence on Pinemere Avenue, Staffordsmith said. The volunteer gave police information on Walker's getaway car, which led to his identification.
Lawson, 65, retired on Aug. 1 after serving on the township's police force for 35 years, 10 of which he served as chief. He had reached the mandatory retirement age.
Lawson told the Asbury Park Press in an interview that Walker had become known as the "Fourteenth Street Burglar." Walker earned the nickname because he targeted upscale homes in the area of Fourteenth Street in the northwest section of Lakewood.
He also told the newspaper he was at a graduation with his wife the day Walker broke into his home. When they came home, Lawson said, he saw a screen to a door in the back of the house removed. Inside the home, Lawson found his wife's jewelry case empty. Also empty, he said, was the drawer where his wife kept a Smith & Wesson .357 caliber Magnum, once used as Lawson's off-duty weapon, and spots once occupied by three laptops.
Jail records indicated Walker remains at the Ocean County Jail in lieu of $200,000 cash bail.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.