MANCHESTER, NH – A city man faces several charges after police say he stole an Amazon delivery van and then abandoned it, after crashing into a pole.
At approximately 2:10 p.m. on October 4, Manchester Police Officers responded to the area of Pine and Orange streets for the report of an Amazon delivery van that had just been stolen. The employee told officers that he had pulled to the side of the road to make a delivery, exited the van, and brought a package to a nearby building. While dropping off the package, the employee saw a male enter the van (which had been left running) and drive away with it. The van was a 2019 Ford E450.
While officers were on-scene, police received a report of an abandoned, possibly stolen, van on Madeline Road in Manchester. Officers responded to that location and found that it was the same Amazon van that had been stolen a short time prior. The van had new damage to it, possibly from striking a telephone pole in the area.
An inventory was completed by Amazon employees and no packages were missing. The driver reported some of his personal property was stolen.
Officers investigating the incident were able to use video from the truck and the area the van was recovered to identify a suspect, Devyn Smith-Gutierrez, 21, of Manchester. Smith-Gutierrez is currently on bail for a previous arrest for Criminal Trespass on May 13, 2021.
This morning at about 10:05 a.m., Officers observed Smith-Gutierrez in the area of Harrison and Chestnut streets. They took him into custody without incident and charged him with the following:
- Theft by Unauthorized Taking or Transfer (Class A Felony) – Theft of the Van
- Theft by Unauthorized Taking or Transfer (Class A Misdemeanor) – Theft of the driver’s personal property
- Conduct After an Accident (Class A Misdemeanor)
- Breach of Bail
The charges against Smith-Gutierrez are only allegations. He is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.