By Richard Kerns
rkerns@newstribune.info
tribune staff writer
KEYSER — Following a resident's tip about a stashed safe found hidden beneath some brush in an alley, Keyser City Police conducted an on-scene investigation and follow-up interrogation Sunday afternoon that quickly unraveled three recent burglaries, including the theft of the safe from the Candlewyck Inn.
Police said Keith L. Wilt, 33, confessed to the May 13 break-in at the Candlewyck, as well as a Jan. 3 burglary of a Spring Street residence.
As a result, police charged Wilt with breaking and entering and burglary. He is also being charged with last week's burglary of the Department of Aging and Family Services in Keyser.
According to police, a resident called the station Sunday afternoon to report that he had found an open safe off an alley near Spring Street. The safe had been jammed in a narrow space between two buildings, and covered with brush.
Police responded to the scene and as they began their investigation, Wilt — who lives on Spring Street — appeared and asked what they were doing.
Police knew Wilt as a convicted burglar who was on probation for theft charges in Allegany County, and his appearance at the scene prompted officers to conduct further questioning of him at the station. Wilt also gave officers permission to search his apartment..
During the course of his questioning at the police station, when presented with evidence of his involvement, Wilt confessed to the Candlewyck break-in, police said.
According to police, he gained entry by pushing in an air-conditioning unit. Wilt then ransacked the restaurant office looking for items of value, before coming across the locked antique safe. Police said he then returned to his residence, stole a hand-truck dolly from a neighbor, and returned to the inn, retrieving the safe and wheeling it unobserved across Route 220/Mineral Street and another two blocks to the alley near his residence, where he was able to beat open the safe and make off with its contents, which included about $1,500 cash.
The dolly was returned to the wrong property, however, and an earlier report of
its appearance in another person’s yard has sparked suspicion among police that it may have been used to steal the safe. In addition, police had received a report of Candlewyck gift certificates that were found in the area last week.
While police were connecting the dots in their interview of Wilt, other officers were searching his apartment. One of the officers had investigated the January burglary of a Spring Street residence, and noted that a red suitcase and jewelry box at Wilt’s residence matched the description of items stolen in that incident.
Officers at the scene alerted their counterpart at the station to the discovery, and when presented with the new evidence, Wilt confessed to that crime as well.
Other items stolen from the Spring Street residence included several heirloom B&O Railroad watches that had belonged to the deceased husband of the homeowner. Police said Wilt had mailed the “priceless” watches to a cash-for-gold business, and got about $130 for them. The watches have not been retrieved.
With Wilt having confessed to the two burglaries, police connected the dots to last week’s break-in at Aging and Family Services, at the corner of Main and East Piedmont streets. Entry there was also gained by pushing in an air-conditioning unit.
Charges are pending in that case.
Wilt was being held Monday afternoon at the Potomac Regional Jail on $30,000 bond.
Keyser, W.Va. —
