photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

A Lawrence Police Department patrol vehicle is pictured June 28, 2022.

A 27-year-old Lawrence man was charged Monday with two felonies and a misdemeanor after he allegedly was caught on camera stealing items from a vehicle.

Police believe that the man, Christian Michael Snell, is responsible for a string of crimes in Lawrence.

Snell faces charges of identity theft and vehicular burglary, both felonies, as well as a misdemeanor charge of theft.

Police said they were alerted to the incident just after midnight Sunday in the 1300 block of Kentucky Street after a person with a doorbell camera reported watching a man going through a vehicle via a live camera feed.

The person quickly called police, allowing officers to catch up with him just a few blocks away.

“We recovered and returned the stolen items to their owner, which included a suitcase and debit card,” police said in a social media post.

Officers on scene recognized the man from reports earlier in the week made by a mobile service technician — a civilian employee who files reports when a sworn officer isn’t required.

The technician was investigating three separate incidents involving auto burglary, shoplifting and criminal use of a financial card, and had distributed photos of the suspect to patrol staff.