Alleged thief caught on video after break-in

LYNN – Suspected Lynn thief Shawn Dennis on Tuesday learned a valuable lesson the hard way: The video tape never lies.At about 1 p.m., police said Dennis, 42, of 17 Rockaway Court, was arrested after a Nahant Street man saw him suspiciously walking away from his car after it had been burglarized a minute earlier.Dennis is now charged with that break-in and another that occurred a few hours earlier on Green Street after being caught on video in both crimes, according to police.On Nahant Street, the victim was inside his home when he heard loud banging from outside, which he initially ignored because he thought it was from a construction truck. However, when he heard his car alarm sounding, he looked outside and allegedly saw Dennis slowly walking away.The victim casually walked behind the suspect all the way to Silsbee Street before Dennis realized he was being followed, police said. Dennis allegedly started running and jumping over backyard fences by the time police were called.With the help of a passerby who saw Dennis run, police were able to find the suspect hiding underneath wood panels leaning against the side of a building at 82 Union St., police said.It turned out a recently-installed surveillance camera caught the entire Nahant Street burglary on tape. Police said it showed Dennis smashing a window, reaching into the car and stealing a radar detector.Police didn’t initially find the radar detector because they said Dennis tossed it while running away from the victim.A few minutes after he was arrested, a contractor doing construction work at 29 Green St. reported to police his Sirius satellite radio had been stolen from his truck at some point during the day.Police eyed Dennis as the suspect because four motor vehicle break-ins occurred in the same time frame and in one of those reports, a witness described the thief as wearing the description of Dennis.A surveillance camera recently installed on the Green Street building confirmed officers suspicions, police said. A man wearing “the exact clothing” as Dennis, including a black hat, red sweatshirt, blue jeans and black boots, was seen entering the vehicle, a police report said.Dennis was charged with two counts of breaking and entering, two counts of larceny over $250, possession of a knife over 2.5 inches, trespassing, possession of marijuana and possession of a class C drug (Clonazepan).He was arraigned Wednesday in Lynn District Court and ordered held on $2,500 cash bail.