Roofing company employee accused of breaking into homes

An employee of a roofing company was arrested after being accused of breaking into two homes in Bedford.

Police said they were called to a home on Old Billerica Road just after 1 p.m. Thursday when the resident reported returning home from a dentist appointment and finding a bedroom was ransacked and all of the resident's jewelry boxes had been emptied. The resident also reported that the closet and dressers had been gone through by an apparent burglar.

The police officer said they saw work-boot prints by a rear sliding glass door of the home and noted that a roofing crew was working in the area.

Police investigated and eventually approached an orange Jeep Wrangler with commercial plates.

The person in the Jeep, who was identified as Steven Butler, 26, of Medford, told police he was one of several crews in the area at the time. However police said there was only one company working in the area at the time.

Police said they spoke to the foreman of the roofing crew, who then rounded up his workers and told them to come clean if they did anything wrong.

While that was happening, police said they saw in plain view on the passenger seat of the Jeep where Butler was sitting several earrings, earring backs and a silver dollar.

Police detained and searched Butler and said they found more stolen items in his pockets, as well as a bag containing pills.

The owner of the Jeep allowed police to search it, and they said they found other jewelry, luggage, electronics and more pills, all of which was determined to belong to the resident who reported the burglary, as well as residents of another home nearby, who did not yet know they had been robbed.

Butler was arrested and charged with two counts of breaking and entering during the day, two counts of receiving stolen property over $250 and possession of a Class C substance.

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Roofing company employee accused of breaking into homes