Fence thief had much larger operation
DAYTON — A man originally caught dismantling and stealing a house's wrought-iron fence faces additional charges after police recovered stolen antique architectural items he had stored in a warehouse that also didn't belong to him.
Charles D. Wilson, 55, of Dayton, was first arrested at 4:44 a.m. on March 9 outside of a house in the 500 block of Steele Avenue. The home's owner called police and said he was watching a man using a shovel and steel rod to take apart the small fence surrounding his house, said Dayton Sgt. Moe Perez.
Wilson admitted the theft after police found him placing parts of the fence in his pickup truck. He was later released from the Montgomery County Jail but was returned to the jail soon after on a domestic violence arrest.
Then, at about 2 a.m. on Thursday, March 19, a man connected to Wilson's family was strolling by a warehouse facility at 346 Fillmore Street, near the corner of Wyoming Street, and noticed some of his ornate architectural belongings in the warehouse. The man called police, and an investigation showed that Wilson, who does own or rent the warehouse facility, had apparently stored his stolen items there and put his own lock on the door.
The warehouse was filled with thousands of dollars worth of material from what were likely more than a dozen thefts, Perez said. Police secured the warehouse and put their own lock on the door, he said.
Wilson, who lives on Fillmore Street, planned to resell the items as part of a burgeoning market for such material. It's unclear how long Wilson had been operating, but Perez said family members told police Wilson had been "active for the past few months."
"He was looking for ornate stuff," Perez said.
Wilson faces charges including criminal damaging, receiving stolen property and possessing criminal tools, Perez said.