Follow-Up: Papastefanou Charged with Market Basket Wallet Theft

A local perp with a long history of criminal activity is alleged to be the man responsible for two recent theft incidents since the fall of 2013, according to reports.

Alexander S. Papastefanou, 31, of Dover Road in Chichester, was arrested at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, on two felony theft by unauthorized taking or transfer charges from an incident at NAMI NH on North State Street in May 2014, and Market Basket on Storrs Street in November 2013.

According to a court affidavit issued on Feb. 13, 2015, police were sent to the Market Basket on Storrs Street on Nov. 20, 2013, for a report of a stolen wallet.

The victim, an elderly woman, stated that someone had taken her wallet while she wasn’t looking. When she first entered the store, she went to the customer service desk to get some change and then continued shopping. When she went to buy her groceries, the wallet was gone.

The woman told police that her wallet was on top of her purse and she didn’t notice anything suspicious or anything else missing. She quickly cancelled her cards while police went through video security footage and spotted a man in a baseball cap and sweatshirt allegedly reaching into the woman’s purse and taking the wallet.

The man continued to shop and then left the store after paying for his items. The man reportedly used a gift card to pay for his groceries, so investigators were unable to identify him from the transaction. Officers canvassed the area but found no one nearby, according to the affidavit.

On Dec. 2, 2013, police issued a Concord Regional Crimeline alert about the case, including video of the alleged theft and nearly a year after the incident, in September 2014, police received a tip on the Crimeline that Papastefanou could be a suspect in the case.

“Papastefanou was known to Concord PD for numerous prior theft and burglary cases and it was determined that he was living in downtown Concord at the time of the theft,” according to the detective’s affidavit.

The detective began to work the case, reviewing the video footage and photos and had “no doubt that the suspect was Alexander Papastefanou” based on previous dealings. The detective also found out that Papastefanou was at the Merrimack County House of Corrections as part of the SOAR program and was not due to be released until December 2015.

Not longer after deducting that Papastefanou allegedly may have been involved in the Market Basket theft, the detective allegedly connected Papastefanou to another theft at the NAMI NH building on North State Street from May 2014, based on fingerprints that were recovered from the scene, according to the report.

Previously, Papastefanou had been convicted of theft in March 2004 in Concord, March 2004 in Goffstown, and December 2012 in Concord. An arrest warrant was issued for Papastefanou and he was charged and arraigned on Feb. 17.

In a statement, Lt. Timothy O’Malley, the commander of the criminal investigations unit, said this incident was another example of the good work of the Crimeline and the public, working together to solve crimes.

“I always promote the Concord Regional Crimeline and I encourage people to call 226-3100, or send a text,” he said. “We do have a pretty good amount of success with it and I’m glad to see that it worked in this case. We certainly appreciate all the help from the public.”

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.