A homeless man was arrested for a burglary that took place in Lawrence.
On December 29 at 1:17 AM, Mark Berko, 31, entered a Dunkin Donuts, located at 299 Burnside Avenue, where a 19-year-old male employee had an Order of Protection against him. Berko forcibly removed a cash drawer from the register and fled the store where he smashed the drawer on the sidewalk in order to access the money located inside. Berko was located and placed under arrest by responding officers a short time later without further incident. Defendant Mark Berko was transported to a nearby hospital for assessment. No injuries were reported at the scene.
Berko was charged with third-degree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief, first-degree criminal contempt and petit larceny. He was scheduled to be arraigned on December 30 at First District Court in Hempstead.
Berko was previously arrested on November 26 for an incident that occurred at the same Dunkin Donuts location on November 21 where he was charged with third-degree robbery and fourth-degree criminal mischief. He was released on his own recognizance.