Maricopa man faces burglary charges after arrest

A Maricopa man arrested last Tuesday faces charges after he was discovered by police at the U-Haul rental area of the Stagestop Marketplace.

Benjamin Thompson, 42, was charged with third-degree burglary, possession of a burglary tool and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.

According to police, an officer traveling westbound on Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway around midnight on July 7 observed the illuminated taillight of a U-Haul moving van as well as a white sedan parked in between two moving vans. Police stopped in the Stagestop parking lot and saw a man standing in front of the sedan. The man, later identified as Thompson, quickly ducked after seeing the police vehicle, police said.

After setting up a perimeter, officers located Thompson hiding in the brush just east of the parking lot. At the U-Haul parking lot, police said they found a red five-gallon can full of gas where Thompson was first seen. A clear plastic tube and a fuel cap was found nearby, police said.

Police said they located a glass pipe on the driver’s seat of the sedan. Thompson allegedly claimed ownership of the pipe and stated he used it to smoke methamphetamine, police said.

Thompson was arrested and booked into Pinal County Jail. A Tuesday hearing was scheduled.