West Hartford Police said in a news release Thursday that a Middletown man was arrested by warrant for stealing books worth more than $16,000.

By Ronni Newton

A Middletown man who was charged by Wethersfield Police earlier this week for the theft of books from the public library also faces charges in West Hartford, police said Thursday.

According to West Hartford Police Capt. Aaron Vafiades, Levi Preston, 50, of Middletown was arrested by warrant on charges of second-degree larceny on July 13, 2024.

The West Hartford Police Department Detective Division was involved in a lengthy, multi-jurisdictional investigation of the theft of books from public libraries in multiple towns. Police determined that Preston had stolen $16,075.92 worth of books from the West Hartford Public Library.

Library personnel first reported to police on Oct. 23, 2023 that they suspected a large number of books had gone missing over the course of several moths, Vafiades said.

“The suspect was discovered to have been scanning books with a cell phone to obtain the re-sale value, and then concealing them prior to exiting the library. The suspect was then re-selling the stolen books online through an Amazon webstore,” police said.

The investigation indicated that Preston had committed similar crimes in other Connecticut towns, including Middletown, Portland, and Wethersfield, as well as possibly in other locations.

Preston was charged by West Hartford Police on July 13, 2024 via warrant with second-degree larceny, and also faces charges in the other jurisdictions. He is due in Hartford Superior Court on March 11, 2025.

“The West Hartford Police Department would like to thank the Middletown Police Department and the Portland Police Department for their assistance in this investigation,” Vafiades said.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to please contact the West Hartford Police Department at 860-523-5203, or via the anonymous tip line 860-570-8969 or email [email protected].

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