2 fair ex-employees arraigned in theft; Men allegedly received stolen bleachers.Byline: Kim RingSPENCER - Two former Spencer fair employees who allegedly stole aluminum bleachers and other items from the Spencer Fairgrounds n. pl. 1. same as fairground. recently were arraigned in Western Worcester District Court Tuesday. Nicholas LaPerriere, 25, of 15 McDonald St. Apt. 1, Spencer, and his cousin, John O'Clair, 27, of 91 Meadow Road, Spencer, were charged with receiving stolen property after a Worcester scrap metal dealer who had been told of the theft recognized the material when the men attempted to sell it. The alleged theft marks the second time the fair has been victimized by former employees who police said stole valuable aluminum and sold it for scrap. "It's really disappointing," fair president Allan Walker said, adding that Mr. O'Clair had worked for several years as a seasonal employee at the fair. "He came to me last year and said his cousin had been having a hard time and asked if we would hire him," he said. Mr. Walker interviewed Mr. LaPerriere and, even though he noticed the court-ordered electronic anklet Mr. LaPerriere was wearing, decided to give him a chance. "And he was a good worker," Mr. Walker said. "But now this." In 2008, Nicholas Thibert, of 8 Deer Run Deer Run can refer to the following:
They were ordered to pay restitution In the context of Criminal Law, state programs under which an offender is required, as a condition of his or her sentence, to repay money or donate services to the victim or society; with respect to maritime law, the restoration of articles lost by jettison, done when the . In the latest case, police believe Mr. LaPerriere and Mr. O'Clair went to the fairgrounds, took the bleacher bleach·er n. 1. One that bleaches or is used in bleaching. 2. An often unroofed outdoor grandstand for seating spectators. Often used in the plural. planks and some wire from under the main stage, then tried to sell it at Starr Scrap Metal Inc., in Worcester. "I have signs all over warning people that I will help the police prosecute them," said Michael P. Rivard, who owns Starr Scrap Metal. When he recognized the bleachers, which had been cut up, he checked out the vehicle they were driving and found it matched information Spencer police had provided. He called Worcester police who held the men until Spencer officers arrived and took them into custody. Mr. Walker said fair officials thought the first incident was isolated, but now they will be talking about ways to improve security, something that could be challenging with their limited budget. Even Police Chief David B. Darrin said there is probably little that can be done to stop such thefts. "I don't know that I have any advice," he said, adding that much of the time large pieces of metal must be stored outside making them, "Prime for the taking." He said if people have metal they plan to sell for scrap, they should expedite ex·pe·dite tr.v. ex·pe·dit·ed, ex·pe·dit·ing, ex·pe·dites 1. To speed up the progress of; accelerate. 2. that process and not leave the items unsecured outside for any length of time. In part he blames the economy. That, coupled with the high price being paid for scrap, makes stealing metal quite tempting. "It's lucrative to the point where people are going to take chances," he said. Cameras might be a deterrent and could be helpful to police if a theft occurs, he said, though they don't provide a guarantee. Mr. Rivard said he is cautious about what he takes in because there's been a rise in the number of metal thefts. He said some brazen bra·zen adj. 1. Marked by flagrant and insolent audacity. See Synonyms at shameless. 2. Having a loud, usually harsh, resonant sound: "sudden brazen clashes of the soldiers' band" thieves will steal exterior doors from occupied homes and turn them in for scrap. The aluminum from the bleachers would have netted about $400 if it had been sold. Mr. Rivard said he pays about 55 cents per pound for that type of metal. The bleachers had been cut into pieces and are of no used to the fair anymore. In a statement contained in his court file, Mr. LaPerriere wrote that he was remorseful re·morse·ful adj. Marked by or filled with remorse. re·morse  ful·ly adv. .
"I'm not to sure why I did this but I have felt bad . . . and whant to make things better for the trouble I coused for the Spencer Fairgrounds. " he wrote, adding that he is the only one to blame for the theft and that his cousin was very hesitant about helping him. He wrote that he wants to, "make it up to the people who I've stolen from." Mr. Walker said he hadn't seen the statement or an accounting of the value of what was stolen but he feels sure that Mr. LaPerriere is in serious trouble since he's already on probation. "I think he has a pretty good chance of going to the slammer A worm that caused a billion dollars worth of damage on the Internet on January 25, 2003. Slammer infected computers all over the Internet by generating random IP addresses and causing the computer's buffer to overflow with its own instructions that replicate itself and start the process for this," he said. ART: PHOTOS CUTLINE: (1) Mr. LaPerriere (2) Mr. O'Clair |
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