SHELBURNE – A Vermont man was arrested in Keene, New Hampshire, for allegedly breaking into Aubuchon Hardware two weeks ago and stealing goods and cash.

Shelburne Police Chief Gregory Bardwell said Thursday that Shelburne Police are pursuing a local arrest warrant for Robert Dragon III, 34, of Morristown, Vermont, and plan to charge him with breaking and entering in the night time, felony larceny under $1,200 and misdemeanor destruction of property.

Shelburne Police responded to a break-in at Aubuchon on Feb. 12 at approximately 7:45 p.m. after surveillance footage captured a man driving a stolen newer model Volvo XC60 arrive at the store and smash the glass rear door with a hammer to gain entry, according to Shelburne Police.

Dann Emerson, an Aubuchon employee, said he knew something wasn’t right when opening the store the next day.

“We got into our security cameras there and started running [the footage] back and looking and running back and looking – all of a sudden in one of them, we saw one of the [store’s] cats just coming down the aisle like her hair was on fire,” Emerson said. “We could see the broken glass inside.”

According to Bardwell, Dragon is suspected of leaving the store with approximately $600 in cash along with two tanks of 50:1 fuel valued at around $110 each. Bardwell said Dragon then drove down Route 2 and allegedly stole an estimated $1,500 worth of climbing equipment from an Asplundh Tree crew truck parked on Route 2.

A statement released by Shelburne Police stated that in the days following the incident, a “vigilant Buckland resident” forwarded a Facebook post to Shelburne Police linking Dragon’s description with that of a suspect wanted out of Vermont.

“We put out a BOLO, [be on the lookout] for the the vehicle and operator, then we reached out to Greenfield Police. Greenfield was able to provide us with some documentation of what’s called their LPR system, which can grab plates that you place into their camera system that if there’s any matching plates that were used in a crime, we’ll get a hit,” Bardwell said. “Earlier that day, that vehicle was in Greenfield.”

Bardwell said when he learned the car had been in Greenfield earlier that day, he reached out to an investigating agency in Vermont and confirmed the vehicle was the same one driven by Dragon during the Shelburne break-in.

On Monday, a Keene Police officer working a road construction detail recognized the Volvo traveling West on Route 101 in the area of Optical Avenue. According to a statement from Keene Police, the officer attempted to stop this vehicle, but Dragon fled west on Route 101 and Route 9 at a “high rate of speed.” Keene Police pursued this vehicle into Chesterfield, where he stopped on Horseshoe Road.

“As police vehicles approached, the driver rammed a Keene Police cruiser and then attempted to drive off-road. The stolen vehicle became stuck in deep snow and the driver fled on foot,” Keeene Police stated. “After a brief foot chase, Keene and Chesterfield Police took the driver, Robert Dragon, age 34, of Morristown, VT into custody.”

In Keene, Dragon has been charged with being a fugitive from justice based on warrants from the state of Vermont, reckless conduct as a class B felony, receiving stolen property as a class A felony, disobeying an officer, reckless driving, operating after suspension, and resisting arrest. Dragon was arraigned Tuesday in the 8th Circuit Court in Keene and held in preventative detention.

Emerson said he was glad to learn that Dragon was in custody.

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.