PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A suspected burglar was arrested Tuesday after a Monday morning crime spree in Northwest Portland but by Wednesday, he was out of jail.
Melvin Tillman, 63, was also arrested in February for another series of burglaries in Southeast Portland.
In the latest break-ins, Oven and Shaker, Blush Beauty Bar and Sterling Coffee Shop were hit.
“Local businesses in Portland have been struggling a lot with theft already, so this is not a huge morale boost,” Morgana Hardy with Blush Beauty Bar said.
She said businesses have to take extra steps to protect their shops.
“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to do that but kind of everyone is stepping up security efforts a little bit more,” Hardy said.
Tillman was taken into custody Tuesday and booked on charges of 2nd degree burglar, 2nd degree criminal mischief and 3rd degree theft and for outstanding warrants.
Tillman’s criminal history dates back as far as 1988 with nearly 2 dozen burglary convictions.
KOIN 6 News knocked on the door at Tillman’s house, where his mother was home but didn’t say much except that Tillman hasn’t had a job in a while.
Attorney Kevin Sali, who is not involved with Tillman’s case, said jail overcrowding and judges having to prioritize who stays locked up leads to many repeat offenders going right back to their old ways.
“Figuring out how to deal the people that do these things is just a huge problem,” Sali said. “Business owners, people who come downtown, people who spend time in their homes, pretty much anywhere, they’re affected by this and we all want to figure out how to stop this stuff from happening.”