Man charged in 29 burglaries

Jen Lawson

Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2004 | 9:22 a.m.

A Las Vegas man told police he committed at least 38 business burglaries in the Las Vegas Valley since January, stealing mostly computers and cash, a Metro Police arrest report alleges.

Scott Bales is being held in the Clark County Detention Center on 29 counts of burglary in Las Vegas and possession of stolen property in Henderson. His bail has been set at $109,000. More charges will be filed against him soon, police said.

Police had obtained arrest warrants against Bales on two counts of burglary and tracked him down at Santa Fe Station, where he had been living with his girlfriend.

When officers encountered Bales in the hotel hallway on Thursday, he said his name was Fred, the police report says.

But after officers arrested him, the police report alleges, Bales told officers "his conscience was getting to him" and he "was ready to come clean" about breaking into the other businesses.

The businesses ranged from a building company to a pizza parlor and most are located on the east side of the valley, according to the report. Bales told police he stole an estimated 40 computers and about $850 from the businesses, the report says.

It's not clear if Bales was selling the computers, but it doesn't appear he was using them for identity theft, police said.

In Bales' hotel room, police found two laptop computers, two hard drives, $242 in rolled nickels, hand tools, rubber gloves and a two-way radio, according to the police report.

Bales described to police how he broke holes in walls and crawled into offices. He was not able to take anything from several businesses because alarms were activated.

In one instance, on June 28, Bales forced his way into a construction business office near Stephanie Street and Russell Road, but a police officer arrived and Bales ran, cutting his leg on a barbed wire fence, the police report says.

Helen Tice, office manager for Madsen Kneppers and Associates on McLeod Drive near Sunset Road and Eastern Avenue, said she was relieved the man who broke into the business ha apparently been caught.

The business, a construction consulting and engineering firm, was burglarized twice, once April 27 and again three weeks later. Both times the burglar knocked a hole in a wall and apparently crawled in and out.

"Fortunately I think his original burglary was interrupted by the cleaning people," Tice said. A computer was stolen that time.

The second time, a computer processing unit, a 35mm camera and less than $100 in petty cash was stolen.

"I'm glad they finally got him," Tice said.