Velardi: Petty theft perps will not go unpunished; repeat offender gets 2-4 years

Charles Libby III at Friday sentencing (Rochester Voice photo)

DOVER - Strafford County Attorney Tom Velardi hopes his office sent a message on Friday to those who commit petty thefts and think they can escape with little or no consequence.
Charles Libby III, 44, with a last known address of Blaisdell Corner, Lebanon, Maine, who was accused in a string of thefts including willful concealment, theft by unauthorized taking and receiving stolen property, was sentenced to two to four years in state prison.
Velardi said Libby's penchant for petty thefts has continued unabated over a period of several years.
"The crimes themselves were small item thefts from local stores with no associated violence," Velardi said on Friday. "However, this offender had received eight prior misdemeanor sentences for similar conduct which did not seem to deter him from victimizing local stores."
Velardi noted that his office pursued the most recent series of thefts as felonies under a law that allows for enhancement of low-level thefts based on two or more prior convictions.
"We believe it is important to hold repeat offenders accountable for such conduct, which has a negative effect on all businesses and consumers," he said. "While it is important to get persons dealing with a substance abuse disorder the help they need, getting that help has to be balanced with protecting the community, including the safety and security of our local stores and shops."
Libby had been enrolled in drug court, but failed to live up to his agreement, which ended up with his termination from the program.
"We're going to hold him to the agreement he made," said Judge Daniel E. Will during the sentencing hearing.
The more recent crimes Libby is accused of include theft by unauthorized taking in January 2020, willful concealment in November 2020, burglary in June 2021, receiving stolen property in January 2022 and theft of mislaid property in May 2022.
Libby has 383 days of pretrial credit, which will be taken off the sentence.
Velardi said he was gratified that Judge Will accepted the state's sentencing recommendation.
"We are pleased that the court agreed with our position and this offender received a state prison sentence for these crimes," Velardi said. "We hope this serves as a deterrent to other offenders who have the mistaken belief that 'low level' thefts will not be prosecuted, with the possibility of significant ramifications to the perpetrator."