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Door-To-Door Magazine Salesmen Accused Of Wrongdoing In 3 Communities

READING (CBS) -- The alert is being put out in at least three different communities, including North Reading, Reading, and Wakefield, about aggressive door-to-door salesmen from out of state peddling magazines, and in one case in Reading police charged one of those salesmen with a house break.

On Friday, Laderious Lowe, 22, of Detroit, Michigan, was arrested by Reading police.

He was charged with breaking and entering during the daytime with the intention to commit a felony and receiving stolen property over $250.

"She was reporting what she believed to have been (a break) into her house (and) some items had been missing, so we dispatched units to that area," said Reading Police Lt. Det. Richard Abate.

"They came across two individuals. After having some discussion with those individuals, they found some property on them which that second call had reported as stolen goods."

Another couple on the street where the alleged break-in happened said they were solicited by a similar crew a few years back.

"They came to the door (and) we didn't let them in, but they gave us a story," says Reading resident Phyllis Vedder.

"One of them said he was like on parole or something, and if he sold these magazines it would be good for him."

Police say none of the salesmen had pre-registered with local police, which is required.

They say the salespeople work for a company called Urban Nation out of Texas.

North Reading police say they told the group to stop harassing residents.

"It's someone not from the area aggressively seeking money seeking donations and if people in town do see someone at their doorstep we're just asking that they call," says North Reading Det. Thomas Hatch.

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