Morgantown man charged after allegedly breaking into multiple buildings, stealing car

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — A Morgantown man is facing charges after officers with the Morgantown Police Department say that he broke into multiple buildings, including a school, over the past few weeks.

According to a release from the department, on Aug. 31, Dustin Vernon Gomes, 38 of Morgantown, broke into the Suncrest Middle School sixth-grade annex building, which is currently undergoing repairs . A criminal complaint filed against him said that he went through a window and stole several items, including “several backpacks, an umbrella and a hooded jacket with ‘Monongalia County Schools’ on the front.”

More than a week later on Sept. 9, Gomes broke into an administrative building at a Morgantown Energy Associates (MEA) Power Plant on Beechurst Avenue. While there, officers said he stole several other items, including the keys to a Jeep Rubicon, which he then took from the building’s parking lot.

The criminal complaint said that Gomes was seen on surveillance cameras with the Jeep in a car dealership parking lot “going through stolen items.”

Gomes was arrested on Thursday, Sept. 12, and has been charged with two counts of breaking and entering as well as one count of grand larceny.

As of Thursday afternoon, Gomes does not appear in the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation system. 12 News will update this story when more information becomes available.

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