VERMILION – A second suspect has been arrested in connection with a series of break-ins at area veterans social clubs that netted thieves tens of thousands of dollars.

Frederick Sharpless, 29, of Lorain, was held Friday on multiple charges stemming from break-ins to an American Legion post in Vermilion and an Erie County VFW hall, according to Erie County sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Jared Oliver.

Sharpless, who was being held in the Erie County Jail, is charged with two counts of breaking and entering, two counts of safecracking, two counts of possession of criminal tools, two counts of theft and one count of disrupting public service.

He also is being looked at by the Amherst police, who interviewed him after his arrest, according to Amherst police Lt. Joseph Kucirek.

“We talked to him about all of our burglaries, but we haven’t charged him yet,” Kucirek said.

Amherst police also are looking at a third suspect in the string of area break-ins that include the Oct. 21 burglary of an American Legion hall in Amherst and an Aug. 11 break-in at the AMVETS post in Carlisle Township.

Sharpless is the second person arrested and charged in connection with the break-ins, which included social clubs in Lorain and Erie counties.

Last week, Amherst police charged Kenneth R. Messer, 44, of Elyria, in connection with the Amherst and Carlisle Township cases. Messer has been charged with grand theft, breaking and entering, possession of criminal tools, tampering with coin machines, vandalism and safe cracking.

The charges against Messer allege that he was involved with the theft of approximately $7,000 from a safe at Amherst’s American Legion hall at 921 N. Lake St. on Oct. 21.

Also stolen were money from cash drawers, a cigarette machine and jukebox, payroll checks and paperwork.

The second break-in Messer is charged occurred Aug. 11 at the AMVETS post on Middle Avenue in Carlisle Township, where thieves removed four safes, along with money from an ATM machine.

The allegations against Sharpless are similar – only the locales differ.

He is accused of being involved with stealing approximately $14,000 on July 9 from a safe and lockboxes at the VFW Post 7576 on Poorman Road in Erie County. He is also accused in the Sept. 24 theft of an estimated $11,000 from an American Legion Hall at 2713 state Route 60 in Vermilion.

“They knew the money was there … that’s why they chose these clubs, due to the amount of money that’s normally inside,” Oliver said Friday.

Neither Sharpless nor Messer belonged to any of the veterans’ organizations, authorities said.

Law enforcement officials in Erie and Lorain counties are still seeking other suspects in connection with the thefts.

“We’re still trying to sort out who worked with whom on what break-in,” Kucirek said.

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

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