Trove of construction equipment may be related to theft case

Detectives investigating the theft of construction tools from a Marathon work site earlier this month uncovered a trove of more equipment they say was probably stolen, as well as a large safe, in a trailer where the suspect in the original case was known to stay, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies arrested Christopher Saccente, 48, on burglary and grand theft charges on Wednesday after they found about $700 worth of tools reported missing from a construction site in the trailer, located on 74th Street, Adam Linhardt, sheriff’s office spokesman, said.

The initials of the person who reported the tools stolen were written on several of the tools. The report was made on Oct. 1.

Detectives arrived at the trailer after workers at the construction site said a man named “Chris” was hanging around the day the tools went missing. Chris turned out to be Saccente, Linhardt said, and detectives went to a motel where he used to work. The motel’s owner said Saccente stayed at the trailer from time to time, but he wasn’t a permanent resident, Linhardt said.

When detectives arrived at the mobile home, the door was open. Not only did they find the tools reported stolen, they also found “a litany of other tools not directly related to this case, but may also have been stolen,” Linhardt said.

These included brand names such as Porter Cable, Paslode, Ryobi, Milwaukee, Rigid, DeWalt and Dremel.

“Detectives are researching other burglary cases to see if these other tools are linked to those cases,” Linhardt said.

Police also found a “hotel room sized” safe in the trailer.

“The safe has a key pad that the rightful owner would presumably be able to open,” LInhardt said.

The sheriff’s office is holding the tools and safe. Anyone thinks the tools may belong to them should call Detective Mario Benedetti at 305-289-2430.