Arthur Strumpfler

A Middle Island man was arrested Sunday on numerous charges of stealing tools and construction equipment throughout the county during the past two months, Suffolk Police said.

During routine patrol Sunday, Sixth Precinct Police Officers Salvatore Dabbraccio and Robert Falisi located a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot on Route 112 near Sagamore Hills Drive in Port Jefferson Station that they believed may have been connected to several grand larcenies that recently occurred in storage yards.

The officers conducted surveillance on the vehicle and a short time later the owner was seen approaching the vehicle at 9:40 a.m. The officers approached the man, Arthur Strumpfler, 43, and he told police he had stolen tools earlier in the day from a storage yard located on Mill Road in Coram and was taken into custody.

Following an investigation by Sixth Squad detectives, it was determined that Mr. Strumpfler had stolen tools and construction equipment from five different storage yards dating back to late July, police said. Detectives also determined that he had broken into a storage building belonging to the Town of Brookhaven in Miller Place on Sept. 17 and stole tools. He was charged with five counts of third degree grand larceny and one count of third-degree burglary.

The investigation is continuing as detectives from the Third and Fourth Squads are expected to bring more grand larceny charges against Mr. Strumpfler for additional incidents.

He is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip today