*** WATCH *** Woman Accused of Receiving Stolen Van Found Snoozing...

HYANNIS, MASSACHUSETTS – A search last evening for a stolen work van packed with expensive tools ended with an unexpected discovery: a woman dozing in a hammock behind the Hyannis Artist Shanties, and a brief family drama that landed both her and her companion in handcuffs.

Barnstable Police launched an investigation after a work van was reported stolen sometime yesterday from the area of Spring Street. The vehicle was later spotted driving around Hyannis, prompting a BOLO just as a downtown patrolman located it shortly before 10 p.m. parked in an Ocean Street lot behind the Hyannis Village Green bandstand.

The van’s driver’s-side vent window had been smashed—believed to be the point of entry—and the keys had reportedly sat in a cup holder inside. Video from the Ocean Street parking lot reportedly identified the female suspect leaving the vehicle only a short time earlier. While a Barnstable County Sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit member photographed the damage and dusted for prints, officers found the keys hidden behind a nearby tree behind the bandstand.

Hyannis News was accompanying a Barnstable Police sergeant searching the area around Barnstable Town Hall when the sergeant spotted the woman sleeping in a hammock behind the Hyannis Artist Shanties. Additional officers arrived and took her into custody.

As she was being escorted to a cruiser, the woman—seen in the following Hyannis News video—apparently sought a kiss from a man identified as her husband who was standing nearby. When officers did not allow it, she resisted by dropping to the ground and was warned against attempting to kick them.

The husband grew agitated after a sergeant confronted him about failing to mention his wife was sleeping in the hammock just behind where he had been seated. He insisted he had been truthful when he said he had not seen anyone “running through” the area—a semantic distinction that did not satisfy the sergeant. The exchange escalated, and the man was arrested for disorderly conduct even though he had been free to leave just moments earlier.

Both were transported separately to Barnstable Police Headquarters. Neither got that kiss.

The woman was identified as Leita Burbank, 34, of Hyannis. She faces multiple charges, including three previous arrest warrants, receiving a stolen motor vehicle (for allegedly being behind the wheel of the van), and resisting arrest. Her companion remained unidentified at the time of this report.

Back at the recovered van, officers collected a pair of white sneakers believed to belong to Burbank—she was only wearing socks when arrested—along with additional video evidence.

The initial details in this report are based on radio transmissions and information from police sources. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The investigation remains active and ongoing…

[HN Video – Press Play]