Police Make Penacook Burglary Arrests

Two men have been arrested in connection with a residential burglary on Americana Drive earlier this month that was the subject of a Concord Regional Crimeline alert.

Ian Berry, 32, of Eastern Avenue, and Abraham Sanborn, 33, Fisherville Road, both of Concord, were both arrested on felony burglary charges. Berry was arrested on Sept. 12; Sanborn was arrested yesterday.

According to a press statement from Lt. Timothy O’Malley, the commander of the criminal investigations division, two men broke into a home on Americana Drive on Sept. 6. The woman woke up and found two suspects in her bedroom who had reportedly climbed through a first floor window.

After the Crimeline alert sent out on Sept. 9, tips were received about both Berry and Sanborn, he said. The New Hampshire Police Forensic Lab provided “vital assistance to the investigation by quickly analyzing certain pieces of physical evidence left at the scene, positively linking the duo to the burglary at Americana Drive.”

Berry was arraigned on Sept. 15, and held on $100,000 cash bail. Sanborn was arraigned earlier this morning.

“This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about these crimes or suspects is asked to call the Concord Regional Crimeline at 226-3100,” O’Malley stated. “All calls are strictly confidential with rewards of up to $1,000.”

O’Malley said that there will future charges on the other burglaries.

Details of the case

According to a court affidavit against Berry, police were called to Americana Drive around 3:15 a.m. on Sept. 6, for the report of a burglary. The woman stated that yelled at the men to leave before calling police that they fled the scene.

After officers arrived, the woman told them that she woke up after hearing noise in her kitchen. She thought it might be mice or something, and went back to sleep. A short time later, she woke up again to more noise in her bedroom.

Officers canvassed the area for suspects and one man was stopped nearby but later, it was determined that he didn’t have any connection to the burglary.

Officers discovered that a stepladder outside of the home had been moved from the front of the house to the rear and the burglars pulled out a screen and entered through a kitchen window.

The woman noticed that a safe was accessed and reported a missing iPod, suspecting that the sound of a cord hitting the floor probably woke her up.

Police later found out about other burglaries and issued the Crimeline alert.

Two days later, detectives re-visit the woman on Americana Drive and found that she was missing a number of small items and that some items had been moved on her windowsill so they could access the home. She estimated that the burglars were in her home for about 15 minutes. Detectives found a palm print, however, on her window and fingerprints were left on some items that were moved. Those items were given to the state police to analyze.

One of the detectives developed Berry as a possible suspect since he was a suspect in a previous burglary when he lived on Monarch Drive and a neighbor’s home was burglarized.

“Additional information developed during that investigation which indicated that Ian Berry was presently addicted to heroin or other opiate-related drugs, and that he was strapped for cash,” according to the detective’s affidavit. “It is well-know from previous investigations that opiate addiction is a driving force in burglary sprees such as this one.”

Police went back to the burglary sites and found a footpath that connected a number of the streets, including Monarch Drive, through the neighborhood and the burglary sites.

On Sept. 9, while looking through the area, one of the detectives encountered Berry walking along the path. Berry allegedly stated that he was visiting a friend on North Emperor Drive, had been kicked out of the home on Monarch Drive the previous weekend, and was staying with his mom on Eastern Avenue, according to the report.

“Ian stated he had not heard anything about burglaries in the area,” the detective wrote, “and remarked that he would like ‘kill’ anyone who broke into his home while he was sleeping.”

One of the detectives also learned that Berry had a relative living in the complex of one of the burglaries and had “a direct connection” to one of the other burglaries, allegedly visiting that home where the person reportedly had medications. The detective also learned that Berry might be “hanging out with one particular white male of similar age and physical description, who was also known to have an opiate addiction issue.”

On Sept. 10, the state police reportedly recovered Berry’s print from one of the glass jars left with a fingerprint on Americana Drive. The detective called Berry’s cellphone but he allegedly denied being involved in the burglary. The detective filed a warrant later that day for Berry and he was arrested.

Previous arrests

According to Concord Patch archives, Sanborn was arrested three years ago for assaulting a pregnant store clerk at the now closed West Street Market. The story made statewide headlines. About a week before that incident, he was arrested on assault charges on Bog Road.

In February 2011, Berry was arrested by the Bow Police Department for kidnapping, criminal liability for conduct of another, driving after revocation/suspension, reckless conduct, and criminal threatening (use of a deadly weapon).

Editor’s note: The following 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 arrest report.