Alleged Concord Burglar Caught

A local man was arrested yesterday after allegedly entering a home on Fairfield Drive and stealing money and a debit card from a resident, according to police.

James A. Gagne, 21, of Manchester Street in Concord, was arrested at around 10:30 a.m. on April 2, 2015, and charged with burglary and two counts of possession of controlled drugs, all felonies.

According to an alert from Lt. Timothy O’Malley of the Concord Police Department, officers were sent to the home after a woman woke up and found an unknown man inside her bedroom.

The woman told the man to leave and he did. When police arrived, she told them that the man was standing in her bedroom and told her that he saw the door open and was just checking on her welfare. After the man left, she discovered her purse on the floor next to the bedroom. Cash and a debit card were missing from the purse, she alleged.

The woman gave a description of the man to police and they began searching for him. Not long after, a man fitting the description was seen near 85 Manchester Street. Officers detained the man – Gagne – and began questioning him. The woman reportedly positively identified Gagne as the man in her home, according to the alert, and he was arrested.

Gagne refused bail and was taken to the Merrimack County House of Corrections. During a search there, according to the report, “a small bag containing a white powdery substance and a clear rock-shaped object were found in his possession.” The substances were later identified as heroin and cocaine, according to police.

“As a result of this arrest the Concord Police executed multiple searches at four separate locations in both Concord and Loudon,” according to O’Malley. “A quantity of evidence was recovered related to this and other burglaries and thefts which have occurred on Manchester Street, Spruce Street and Mountain Road. Additional charges are forthcoming.”

According to witnesses, Gagne allegedly was going door-to-door asking for work. It’s suspected that he would allegedly steal property from homeowners when the opportunity arose, according to O’Malley.

Police are asking the public to please call them or the Concord Regional Crimeline (603-226-3100) if they have any information about these alleged crimes.

Gagne, according to a post on Concord NH Patch, was arrested in October of last year on theft, mischief, and other charges after an incident with his wife. In December 2014, he was arrested in Methuen, MA, on drug and fugitive charges, according to the Lawrence Eagle Tribune.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch police report.