NEWPORT — Three of the four men who were arrested after an attempted burglary at the East Main General Store in Newport were in court on Tuesday. All three pleaded not guilty to numerous charges, while one of the accused has not yet been arraigned. All four men are from North Troy.
John Libbey, 42, and Herbert Jacobs, 63, were charged with burglary, possession of burglar’s tools and unlawful mischief. Jacobs pleaded not guilty and was released on $5,000 bond.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Libbey was not arraigned, but is being held on an existing 15-year sentence. He is expected to answer to the charges against him soon.
Kenneth Carriero, 39, pleaded not guilty to the charge of aiding in the commission of a felony. He was released on $10,000 bond.
Christopher Carriero, 44, also pleaded not guilty to the charge of providing a false report to authorities.
The attempted burglary took place at about 1:30 a.m. and was caught on surveillance video, Newport Police Sergeant Charles Moulton said in an affidavit. Two masked figures were seen inside the store near the cash register and ATM machine, and the soundtrack picked up banging noises, later identified as the sound of them trying to pry open the ATM machine.
The affidavit states that clothing worn by the two is clearly visible in the recording. The video also captured a car driving by and honking its horn before the two individuals fled.
A witness who called police during the crime told police that a dark colored Saab had honked its horn before he saw the men run out of the store, and he believed that it was involved in the crime.
A 2003 black Saab was stopped shortly after the crime, with the four suspects inside. The affidavit states that Christopher Carriero was driving, with his brother riding up front, and Libbey and Jacobs in the back seat.
Carriero refused police permission to search the vehicle, but police obtained a search warrant the following day.
The affidavit goes on to say that inside the vehicle clothing and gloves matching those seen in the surveillance video were found, along with crowbars and pry bars.
The affidavit lists other evidence from the investigation leading to the arrest of the four men charged in the crime, including the fact that Libbey had tampered with a GPS monitor he was wearing as part of his probation on the night of the burglary.
Libby is the suspect in other area burglaries, and Moulton wrote in the affidavit that during each burglary there was tampering with his GPS locator.
