"Boston police probe homeless man’s link to hotel room burglaries" by Jasper Craven | Globe Correspondent December 02, 2013
A 35-year-old homeless man pleaded not guilty Monday to trespassing at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, and Boston police are investigating whether he was involved in a series of burglaries at several hotels, prosecutors said.
Paul Palrao was arrested Saturday morning after staff at the Downtown Crossing hotel recognized him from a Nov. 22 incident, when he was allegedly using drugs in the lobby bathroom. He was not arrested at that time, said Jake Wark, spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.
But on Saturday, Palrao was arrested as he allegedly tried to inject himself with drugs in a hotel bathroom, prosecutors said.
He allegedly flushed his syringe down the toilet before police arrived, making it impossible for police to identify the substance in the syringe, authorities said.
Palrao told police he was addicted to heroin, Wark said.
At about the time of Palrao’s arrest at the Hyatt Regency, police were at the nearby Boston Park Plaza hotel investigating a series of room burglaries. Palrao allegedly matched the description of the suspected burglar, authorities said.
Police said they were expecting to file additional charges against Palrao in a series of burglaries at the Park Plaza and other hotels.
Palrao was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Monday in Boston Municipal Court, pending a probation surrender hearing related to 2012 convictions for possession of a Class B substance and distribution of a Class E substance, prosecutors said.
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