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HANNIBAL, MO. -- The following a news release from the Hannibal Police Department;

Officers of the Hannibal Police Department arrest a New London Missouri man for a recent string of burglaries.

At 4:07 Tuesday morning Hannibal officers observed William C. Fitzpatrick, 47, of New London Missouri operating a vehicle in downtown Hannibal.

Officers, who were aware of an active no bond parole violation warrant for Fitzpatrick, conducted a traffic, stop taking him into custody without incident.

During a search of Fitzpatrick's vehicle officers located drug paraphernalia and a white powdery substance believed to be cocaine.

Fitzpatrick had also been identified as a suspect in an auto theft reported around noon on April 30th from the Lowes parking lot as well as a riding mower theft from Beth Haven around 1:50 the same day.

Fitzpatrick was transported to the Hannibal Police Department and later transferred to the Marion County Jail Facility and held on the parole violation warrant.

Hannibal Police detectives continued their investigations into the April 30th incidents and through their investigations not only identified Fitzpatrick as the suspect for those crimes but also several burglaries of Hannibal businesses committed during the months of February, March and April.

Those businesses included World Finance, Ayers TV, and Tower Loan all in North Port Plaza as well as TJ's Supper Club, Big River Oil, Bastian Law Firm and White Electric.

Fitzpatrick's last brush with Hannibal Police was in July 2007 when he was arrested and sentenced for over 20 counts of burglary in Hannibal as well as other burglaries in the surrounding counties and Municipalities.