AMHERST — An Elyria man has been charged with breaking into veterans clubs in Lorain and Erie counties, including last week’s burglary of the Amherst American Legion Post in which the suspected thief made off with several thousand dollars in cash from a safe, cigarette machine and jukebox.

Kenneth R. Messer, 44, of Elyria, was arraigned Tuesday in Oberlin Municipal Court on charges of grand theft, breaking and entering, possession of criminal tools, tampering with coin machines, vandalism and safe cracking. He was being held without bail Tuesday at the Lorain County Jail.

Amherst police are working with the Lorain and Erie County Sheriff’s offices on investigations into a number of similar break-ins of social clubs in the two counties over the past several months.

“There appears to be a pretty consistent pattern here,” Amherst Police Lt. Joseph Kucirek said. “There was a similar manner in the way entry was made, what was done once they were inside, and what was taken. In all cases, money was the common theme.”

Messer is a suspect in the theft of approximately $7,000 in cash from a safe at the American Legion hall on North Lake Street along with money from cash drawers, a cigarette machine and jukebox, as well as payroll checks and paperwork.
Kucirek declined to say how much money was taken in the other burglaries.

“In some cases, it was quite a bit more,” he said.

During the Aug. 11 break-in at AMVETS Post 32 on Middle Avenue in Carlisle Township, thieves made off with more than $30,000 from three safes that were taken by the burglars.

Some $4,000 was also removed from an ATM machine. At the time, AMVETS trustee Patrick Kelley said the $30,000 was typical of the kind of cash kept at the post for gambling fundraisers and other events.

Sheriff’s detectives in Erie County are looking into a pair of Vermilion Township break-ins, including a July 9 burglary of VFW Post 7576 on Poorman Road, and a Sept. 24 burglary of an American Legion post on state Route 60, Erie County sheriff’s Capt. Paul Sigsworth said.

Two safes and an ATM cash drawer were taken in the VFW break-in, he said.

A safe was broken into but not removed in the September burglary of the American Legion post.

“In each instance, several thousand dollars was taken,” Sigsworth said.

Erie County officials have not yet interviewed Messer, Sigsworth said.

Police and sheriff’s departments are also talking to other potential suspects believed to have worked with Messer.

“We don’t want to say too much right now, but he was definitely not by himself,” Kucirek said.

Messer had a lengthy police record for similar crimes and had served time in prison for previous convictions, Kucirek said.
Both Sigsworth and Kucirek said they had no information on whether Messer was a member of any of the veterans’ organizations that were victimized.

Sources at the Amherst American Legion said Messer was not a member.

Persons who answered a call to the AMVETS post in Carlisle Township declined to comment.

Messer was arrested without incident Monday after Amherst and Elyria police executed a search warrant at an Elyria address with the aid of the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office. A search of the house and a gray 1985 Chevy van owned by Messer turned up a bank bag containing $4,470 cash, a quantity of suspected prescription drugs and marijuana, homemade masks with eye holes, gloves and tools including a sledge hammer, pry bars and wire cutters, according to a search warrant in the case.

In both the Amherst and Carlisle Township break-ins, phone and cable lines were cut before both buildings were entered, according to police. Surveillance cameras at the Carlisle Township AMVETS post revealed two masked and gloved intruders entering the building.

The van proved to be the key to arresting Messer after an Amherst police officer spotted the unoccupied vehicle on a state Route 2 entrance ramp about 3 a.m. the day after the American Legion break-in. Amherst detectives matched the gray van with louvered rear window panels and side window curtains to one believed used in the August break-in at the AMVETS.

All of the break-ins are believed to have occurred in the early morning hours when all of the facilities were unoccupied.

Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.

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