Woman charged with numerous attempted car break-ins at Lynn train station

An MBTA Transit Police officer assigned to patrol the Lynn parking garage due to multiple break-ins in recent days may have hit the jackpot yesterday morning: A woman he allegedly found attaching a stolen plate to one car, with evidence she had tried to break into several other cars nearby.

Alexis Downez, 32, was charged with five counts of attempted breaking and entering in the daytime, five count of malicious destruction of property, possession of burglarious tools, stealing a license plate and driving after suspension. Her arrest came after three days of car break-ins, thefts and vandalism at the garage, police say.

Downez was also charged with receiving stolen property after police learned the plate she was allegedly attaching to a purple Geo Prizm when caught actually belonged to another car reported stolen from Beverly - a car parked nearby in the garage, allegedly with Downez's purse inside.

Police say Downez was caught with a Philip's Head screwdriver and a flat-head screwdriver with a bent tip, as if it had been used to pry something open.

According to a police report, when Downez was caught attaching the plate, she attempted to explain her behavior by saying she'd been cutting through the garage when she noticed the license plate had fallen off a car she recognized as belonging to a friend. The officer quickly became skeptical, however, when he noticed the plate number didn't match that on the car's front plate. Also, the driver's side lock looked like somebody had been trying to pry it out, police say.

Police found four other cars that bore similar evidence of attempted break-ins. Police add an attendant at the garage told officers he had noticed a woman who looked like Downez speed through the entrance without paying that morning.

Innocent, etc.