FAIRFIELD -- A Fairfield man is facing charges for allegedly stealing Christmas presents in hopes of passing them along to his own friends and family.

James A. Whitman, 22, has been charged with burglary and theft after police confiscated items stolen from approximately 12 homes in Fairfield and Waterville over the past three months, said Steven M. Trahan, deputy chief of the Fairfield Police Department.

"It took two pickup trucks, a Ford Explorer and a cruiser to bring all the property back (to the police station)," Trahan said. "I've got six bicycles in my garage here, an electric four-wheeler, a teeter-tot, and this is just all from Waterville."

Whitman was free on $350 cash bail by Saturday evening.

"I'm assuming there will be additional charges from Waterville," Trahan said.

The first of two thefts in Fairfield occurred on Thursday when wrapped and unwrapped Christmas gifts were taken from a Newhall Street home.

Fairfield police Officer Casey Dugas' investigation led to Whitman, who also lives on Newhall street, as a suspect in the theft, Trahan said.

On Friday a witness saw Whitman steal a wind chime off the porch of a Fairfield home, Trahan said. Fairfield Officer Shanna Blodgett issued Whitman a summons charging him with theft and the wind chime was recovered.

Dugas and Detective Sgt. Kingston Paul of the Fairfield Police executed a search warrant at Whitman's Newhall Street home on Saturday and recovered most of the items from the original burglary as well as items from as many as 10 burglaries that were committed in Waterville over the past few months, Trahan said.

"We didn't even know this property was going to be there when we went over there to execute this search warrant," Trahan said. "We were hoping to find the property from the burglary we had here in Fairfield."

Whitman, a former public works employee for the City of Waterville who was laid off two weeks ago, had written names on the presents to give away, Trahan said.

"They're not in the original wrapping paper," he said. "All of the items are re-wrapped."

Fairfield police are holding the items taken from Waterville until police from that department can pick them up, Trahan said. The Fairfield family went to the police department on Saturday to recover the gifts that had been stolen from their home.

"We all wanted to be sure this family got their belongings back," Trahan said. "It's just a few days before Christmas. We're not going to hold the items and deprive a child of their Christmas."

Trahan praised his officers for recovering the gifts.

"The officers here did a great job," he said. "I'm really proud of my guys."

Craig Crosby--861-9253

ccrosby@centralmaine.com