Crime & Safety

Affidavit: Meriden Pawn Shop Owner Questioned in Burglary Investigations

Pawn shop owner denies knowing that items were stolen.

A Meriden pawn shop owner was questioned by police during the recent investigation into a rash of residential burglaries in Durham and several nearby towns.

According to arrest warrant affidavits, The Jewelry Store owner Jesse Deanekindt denied buying stolen items from three suspects arrested last week for burglaries in Durham, Haddam and Killingworth.

Dane Tilley, 30, of Middletown, Shane Martingano, 31, and Derek Pierini, 29, both of Hartford, were charged on April 24 for their alleged roles in the burglaries which took place between Novermber 2012 and January 2013.

On Feb. 20, police questioned Deanekindt, who owns the pawn shop located at 412 West Main Street, Meriden, after a woman interviewed during the investigation told police that Tilley, Martingano and Pierini would bring stolen items such as TVs, laptop computers, jewelry and other home electronics to TJS Pawn Shop and "regulary deal with a guy by the name of "Jessie" at the pawn shop," the affidavit says.

According to one of the affidavits, Sarah Stuart, 33, of Hartford, told investigators that Deanekindt was not recording the items the trio was bringing to the pawn shop and sometimes would trade the suspects items he had in his pawn shop for the stolen items.

While Deanekindt admitted that he was familiar with the suspects, he denied any illegal pawn transactions regarding the individuals.

State law requires pawn brokers to keep records of each item that is handled to help police track stolen items.

Stuart, who admitted to police that she allowed the suspects to borrow her pickup truck while carrying out the burglaries, has pleaded not guilty to a third degree burglary charge from 2010.

Martingano and another woman, Alea Derota, 27, of Middletown, were arrested in February after attempting to sell power equipment stolen from a Durham home at a Rocky Hill pawn shop.

State police say the investigation into burglaries in the towns continues.


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