Suspect In 2021 Ellington Liquor Store Burglary Arrested

ELLINGTON, CT — An Enfield man has been arrested by state police in connection with a burglary at an Elington liquor store nearly two years ago.

Nicholas Provencher, 43, was charged on a warrant with third-degree burglary, possession of burglar tools, first-degree criminal misciief and second-degree larceny. He was released after posting a $30,000 surety bond, and is slated to appear May 9 in Rockville Superior Court.

According to an affidavit supporting Provencher's arrest, in the early morning hours of May 15, 2021, an alarm was activated at Mark's Country Winbe and Liquors at 12 Main Street. Review of the store'ssecurity camera footage showed a 2004 Jeep Cherokee with distinctive rust marks pulling up to the front door around 5:06 a.m. A passenger in the Jeep, wearing gloves and a black face mask, approached the glass door and began striking it with an object inside a pillow case, as well as with his hand and foot.

Upon breaking the glass, the man reached inside and gained access to the store. After frantically searching various parts of the store, the man left and got back into the Jeep, which quickly fled. The store owner later told police about $4,000 in cash was taken ,as well as about $9,000 worth of cigarettes. Damage to the building was estimated around $3,000, according to the affidavit.

The next morning, three troopers located the Jeep at an Enfield car wash. While a man, later identified as Provencher, was vacuuming the vehicle, a trooper noticed a bag on the ground next to it, which contained a tire iron. The vehicle was seized as evidence and towed away, pending approval of a search warrant, according to the affidavit.

In the course of the investigation, DNA samples taken from Provencher matched DNA found in the Jeep. The same DNA was also present in other burglaries under investigation in Newington, Enfield and New London, according to the affidavit.