OSSIPEE - Three men who allegedly posted items they intended to steal on Craigslist have been indicted on felony theft charges.

The suspects, Adam Quinney, 22, of Weare, Daniel Chesley, 23, of Conway, and Allen Downs, 27, of Weare were arrested in November following a police investigation and surveillance at a storage facility on Route 25/Whittier Highway in Moultonborough.

According to the indictments, Quinney, Chesley and Downs are charged with one count of conspiracy, two counts of theft by unauthorized taking, and one count of attempted theft by unauthorized taking, all felony level offenses.

The trio allegedly created an ad they posted on Craigslist, advertising a tractor and truck bed free for the taking at a location on Whittier Highway. They then arrived at the location and loaded the tractor onto a trailer. They also allegedly stole tools, Co2 tanks, copper and brass pipes, and electric motors with a total value of more than $1,500.

In a prior interview, Moultonborough Police Department Sgt. Peter Beebe said the arrests resulted from investigations into two separate thefts from the same storage area in late October, early November. He said they first posted the ad for the tractor on Craigslist then came and took the tractor. The ad was posted ostensibly to create an alibi, said Beebe.

When the men allegedly returned to the storage area on Friday, police had set up surveillance on the property and caught the men stealing a truck bed and other items. The tractor was recovered at a Tamworth salvage yard where it had been sold for scrap.

Arraignments on these and other new felony indictment cases will be held on March 13 at Carroll County Superior Court in Ossipee. The morning docket begins at 8:45 a.m.



lmulkern@newstote.com