East Hampton Tenant Charged With Stealing $8,900 Worth of Property

A Norwich man who was being evicted from an East Hampton home last year is facing a felony larceny charge after police said he stole several thousands of dollars in belongings from his landlord before vacating the premises.

Leo Gordon Williams III, of 103 5th St. in Norwich, turned himself in to the on Aug. 16 after learning there was a warrant charging him with third-degree larceny.

According to East Hampton Sgt. Michael Green, Williams was renting a home at 8 Main St. from a family friend, having moved into the property in 2011. The home was already furnished with all of the family friend’s belongings, including jewelry, electronics, furniture and clothing.

Some time after moving in, Williams, 34, was unable to make rent payments and the homeowner began the process of evicting him. But before leaving, Williams cleaned the entire place out of all of the belongings, taking everything including jewelry, clothing, DVD players, baseball cards and air conditioners, Green said.

In total, police calculated that the total value of the stolen goods amounted to $8,903.

Over the course of a year, police tracked down much of the stolen goods to a garage in East Haddam and pawnshops in the area, where Williams went to sell them, Green said.

Williams has since posted a $2,500 bond. He’s scheduled to be arrainged in Middlesex Superior Court on Tuesday.

Williams doesn’t have a serious criminal record, although he has paid fines to the state for previous misdemeanor charges of possession of small amounts of marijuana and driving under suspension, according to the state’s website.