WILTON — A Lewiston man is charged with stealing items valued at more than $17,000 from a church, a business and a house in late June, police Sgt. Ethan Kyes said Thursday.
Christopher Veilleux Franklin County Detention Center photo
Christopher W. Veilleux, 34, admitted to the crimes, Kyes said.
Kyes responded to a burglary at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on High Street on June 26. A silver chalice, communion set and a laptop computer, among other items, were valued at more than $10,000, he said.
Two residents submitted surveillance video to police to help in the investigation, he said.
While investigating another burglary, Keyes said a person was found to have the laptop which had been received from Veilleux.
Officer Thomas Fiske investigated burglaries at Creative Wood Products on Depot Street and a house on Prospect Street that were reported June 27. At the house where items were piled in the driveway, some of them from Creative Wood Products, Kyes said. “We looked at property at multiple residences,” some of it taken from the church but not reported missing. Those who had it said they purchased it from Veilleux but did not know it was stolen.
Two witnesses told police Veilleux admitted to them that he entered the church, the house and business, Kyes said.
Veilleux was arrested Aug. 17 while in custody at the Franklin County jail in Farmington. He was charged with felony theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and burglary, and a misdemeanor charge of violating condition of release related to the church burglary.
In the house burglary, he was issued a summons Aug. 18 on felony charges of burglary and theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief. Goods valued at over $5,000 were taken, Kyes said.
In the burglary at the business, where Veilleux previously worked, he was issued summonses on charges of felony burglary, theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and forgery. Tools and business checks were stolen valued at over $2,000. Veilleux cashed one of the business checks at a business on Center Street in Auburn, but the business would not cash a second check, Keyes said.
Police recovered most of the property taken from the three locations, Kyes said.
Veilleux is being held on $8,000 bail at the jail for the Wilton charges and has additional charges from Oxford County.
He was also issued a summons on charges of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer and violation of bail by Wilton officer Stephen Charles on Thursday. The charges were made after fraudulent access to bank cards of a Wilton resident on the Maxwell R0ad, police Chief Heidi Wilcox wrote in an email.
A conviction for theft from the church is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000. A conviction for each of the other charges range from up to six months to five years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000 to $5,000.
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