Alleged ‘career criminal’ charged in string of Chandler burglaries

PHOENIX – A man accused of a two-day, six-burglary crime spree in Chandler was arrested early Wednesday at the scene of a break-in, authorities said.

Officers responding to an alarm activation found 56-year-old Charles Payne inside a Five Guys restaurant near Arizona Avenue and Ocotillo Road around 3 a.m., according to court documents and a Chandler Police Department press release.

The business had a broken window. Police said Payne tried to run away but was stopped and arrested. Payne had a cut on his hand and glass stuck in the bottom of a shoe when he was apprehended, police said.

Investigators connected Payne to two other burglaries that occurred before the arrest near Arizona Avenue and Germann Road, at a Sonic restaurant and a Cobblestone car wash.

Police say Payne was also allegedly responsible for three similar break-ins near Alma School Road and Queen Creek Road early Tuesday.

Police said Payne has a history of arrests and is on probation for burglary, calling him a “career criminal” in the press release.

He was booked into Maricopa County jail on five counts of third-degree burglary, police said. A sixth charge was pending, police said.

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