Lynn man charged with stealing WFNX equipment

LYNN – Police arrested a Lynn man they observed dragging WFNX radio station equipment down Washington Street after midnight Thursday, according to a police report.Michael McNeil, 30, of 26 Shepard St., told the officers he “was a DJ and did gigs on the weekend,” and was transporting his equipment from his grandmother?s house on Shepard Street to his girlfriend?s house on Estes Street, Officer Paul Cotter wrote in his report.McNeil is charged with breaking and entering nighttime for felony, destruction of property over $250 and receiving stolen property after he allegedly broke the window of a van that was parked behind the Lynn Arts building, which houses the WFNX headquarters, and stole sound equipment from inside, according to the report.Officers watched McNeil “struggling to drag” the heavy mixing equipment near the intersection of Washington and Union streets in Central Square around 1:30 a.m. While speaking with him, officers noticed scratches on his arms, and radioed for other units to check the WFNX headquarters for any sign of a break-in, the report said. An officer reported finding the window of a WFNX van smashed in, and another black case similar to the one McNeil had in his possession was found on the ground not far from the van, the report said.McNeil has a history of breaking and entering arrests, according to the report, but denied that he had been arrested for doing so in the past. He had 15 default warrants on his record for failing to appear in court for larceny charges, according to court documents.Police believe McNeil may have stolen the property due to a drug dependency problem and was going to sell it or swap it for drugs, Cotter wrote in the report.Lynn District Court Clerk John Fleming, who filled in for the judges while they attended a conference Thursday, ordered McNeil held on $10,000 with $1,000 personal surety, according to court documents. He is due back in court June 4.WFNX staff said they were unaware of the break-in Thursday afternoon and Operations Manager Mike Snow did not return calls for comment.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].