Police: Man put stolen items into taxi, driver called cops

LYNN – A judge ordered $750 cash bail for a Swampscott man arrested fleeing police after a cabbie reported the man and another person loading the taxi with items – including a flat-screen television – hidden beneath a bush. “The taxi driver was on his phone reporting to Officer (Brian) Wilson that the two males he had just picked up on Beverly Road were loading the cab with bags and a TV that they were getting from under the bushes in front of a house on Beverly Road,” Swampscott Police Officer Todd Pierce wrote in a report.Frank P. Ferdinand, 29, of 1 Salem St. #25, Swampscott, was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property +$250, seven counts; disorderly conduct; and possession of Class E drugs; at 2:08 a.m. Sunday.Ferdinand was arraigned on the charges Monday in Lynn District Court where a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf, according to court documents.Police received a call at 1:06 a.m. Sunday from a cab company employee who told officers he had picked up two men on Puritan and Beverly roads acting suspiciously, according to police. The caller said the men had taken items from beneath bushes in front of a house on Beverly Road and loaded them into the caller’s cab.Police said an officer saw a cab at a nearby gas station. As the officer turned to investigate, two men allegedly jumped out of the taxi and ran down Pleasant Street.”At this time the male that was trailing his companion turned and looked directly at me and yelled, ?(expletive),'” Pierce reported.The suspects separated, and Pierce chased one of them through backyards and woods, according to police. Swampscott Police, along with Marblehead and Nahant officers, reportedly surrounded the suspect. Salem K9 Turbo sniffed out Ferdinand – who police said was familiar to the department and was a known drug user – from the suspect’s hiding place underneath a back porch on Kensington Lane, according to police.Police said the cab driver identified Ferdinand as one of the men who loaded the items into the cab. The second suspect escaped, according to police.Police reported the items loaded into the cab included a Phillips flat-screen television, a laptop, a Magellan GPS, cash, a drill and bottles filled with prescription medication.Ferdinand told officers he and a guy named “Jose” found the property when they were walking along Beverly Road, according to police.Police later that afternoon responded to a report of a past breaking and entering at 404 Puritan Road, however.”At this time all items that were recovered from Ferdinand including prescription pills belonging to (the homeowner) were accounted for as missing/stolen,” Swampscott Police Officer Michael Frayler reported.Prosecutors requested $750 cash bail for Ferdinand, and ordered him to stay away from the victims and 3 Beverly Road, according to court documents. (A break-in at the home was reported leading to the chase, according to the police log). Judge Stacey Fortes accepted the request and scheduled Ferdinand to return to court Dec. 5 for a pretrial hearing.Police Sgt. Tim Cassidy said Monday afternoon that police are still looking for two tall Hispanic-looking men driving a gold SUV who were seen last week at the scene of a burglary on Puritan Road. Cassidy said the suspects will carry newspapers and, if someone responds to the suspects’ knock at the door, will ask residents to purchase a subscription. If nobody is home, the suspects will try to burglarize the home, Cassidy said.Swampscott Police reported three breaking and enterings this weekend – although one likely involved teens using a residence to party – and said break-ins have occurred on Puritan Road, at multiple homes on Elmwood Road, and on Cherry, Pine and Essex streets and Franklin Avenue in the past three weeks.