York County Sheriff’s deputies arrested an Arundel town selectman this morning, charging him with fencing stolen property, sometimes paying burglars with drugs.

Deputies charged Byron Kindley, 63, with receiving stolen property and drug trafficking following a search warrant executed at 5 a.m. today at the Valero gas station and convenience store Kindley owns.

Deputies also charged Kindley’s girlfriend, Tina Gagne, 46, with drug trafficking, said York County Sheriff Maurice Ouellette.

Police seized $15,000 worth of stolen merchandise, he said. Kindley and Gagne lived in an apartment above the gas station, which is on Route 111.

Items taken during daytime burglaries, including jewelry, flat screen televisions and other electronics were given to Kindley in exchange for cash, or the prescription painkiller Vicodin, Ouellette said.

The investigation continues, including efforts to identify the people who were committing the burglaries. Ouellette said some of the stolen items were taken to Portland for resale.

Ouellette said Kindley’s role in the government makes the case more serious.

“When people run for elective office, people put their trust in them and when you turn around and violate the public trust, that kind of steps it up a notch,” Ouellette said.

Kindley is free on $1,500 bail. His term as a selectman expires in 2012.