DALLAS — UPDATE, Saturday July 13: Shortly after publishing this story Friday night, Dallas police arrested Michael Mauricio Martinez.
EARLIER: Dallas police are once again searching for a man who they believe has broken into dozens of homes and cars in the city.
Michael Mauricio Martinez is a long-time criminal who most recently served nearly three years for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Now, police say they believe he is responsible for dozens of break-ins.
“They know for a fact that they can put 50 cases on this one guy,” said Mike Mata, with the Dallas Police Association. "Fifty-plus times he’s made a victim of some family or some person."
After months of investigation, in mid-May, they tracked Martinez down at a Budget Suites Hotel in Dallas. They arrested him.
In early June, he appeared in district court. At the time, detectives couldn’t tie all the break-ins to Martinez, but judges were aware of his criminal history and several new burglaries.
His bond was set at $25,000, meaning he paid $2,500 to get out. He was also ordered to wear an ankle bracelet.
“So he gets out on a $2,500 bond and an ankle monitor, which a day and a half later all he did was cut off and go right back to committing crimes again,” Mata said.
So, Martinez is once again on the streets.
According to court documents, he started wearing an ankle bracelet on June 13. But two days later, on June 15, his device had a tracking issue and his mom said he cut his bracelet and left her home. She said she doesn’t know where he went or where he is now.
Court officials said they can’t comment on a pending case. But his court coordinator said that he did not preside over all aspects of Martinez's case.
“Well, I got news," Mata said. "DPD did our job. It’s time for Dallas County to do theirs."
Ally Venable is a musician who had equipment stolen while she was performing. Her guitar pedals were stolen out of her dad’s truck. Martinez is the suspect.
“You know, you work so hard for the gear that you have and in just a split second it’s gone,” Venable said. “You finally save up the money to get the gear that you need to go do your job on stage and then when it’s taken from you. It's like a really big insult to a lot of people.”
But Mata says this isn’t just a property crime.
He worries it may turn violent.
In one case, Martinez was caught on video going through a garage with a gun in his hand. And earlier this week, police said they almost arrested him, but he rammed a squad car and drove through a wooden fence to get away from officers.
Mata said he is frustrated with the court.
“When you have an individual who is a serial criminal – that’s what this guy does for a living," Mata said. "This is his job – to steal and rob others who have worked hard for their property. That is all this guy does."
“And that’s what a judge should have looked at," he continued. "He should have looked at that history. He should have looked at what he was arrested for, all those cases, and said, 'You know what? This guy is not going to go out, and I’m going to make sure this guy is not going to go out and make more victims.'"