April Arrest in March Theft from St. Lawrence O'Toole Church

William Skeeth of Yorktown faces felony charges of grand larceny in connection with the theft of chalices and other religious objects from St. Lawrence O'Toole Roman Catholic Church in Brewster. 

The theft occurred March 7. The chalices were sold to and returned by Brookfield Resources Management, a scrap metal operation in central Westchester County. 

Here's the text of the police announcement:

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reports the arrest of a Shrub Oak (NY) resident in connection with the theft of religious vessels and money from the St. Lawrence O’Toole Roman Catholic Church, located in the Village of Brewster.

On March 8, 2014, the Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from church officials reporting that while the church was open to the public, fifteen items, including gold-plated chalices, other religious vessels and cash were stolen. The cash was removed from a display located at the vestibule of the church.

The case was assigned to Investigator Thomas Corless of the Sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation. During the probe, a scrap metal dealer from Elmsford (NY) reported that a man appeared at his place of business and sold the items to his company for approximately twenty dollars. He notified the parish administrator and Investigator Corless of the recovery and returned the items to the church.

As a result of the investigation, 48 year-old William P. Skeeth of 3889 Barger Street, was arrested. He surrendered himself on April 9th to Investigators Corless and Robert Ferris near his home.

After consulting with Putnam County First Assistant District Attorney Lisa Ortolano, Mr. Skeeth was charged with Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a class “E” felony. He was arraigned before Kent Town Justice Kevin Douchkoff, acting on behalf of the Village of Brewster Justice Court, and ordered held without bail at the Putnam County Correctional Facility.