WINTHROP — Police recovered all 34 guns and the ammunition stolen early Saturday from Audette’s Hardware store, and have identified a suspect in the theft.

Winthrop Police Chief Joseph Young said the suspect, John Joseph Woodley, 49, of Winthrop, led police to the cache of weapons.

Winthrop police summonsed Woodley on unrelated burglary and theft charges connected to an incident that occurred about a week earlier, Young said at a news conference Tuesday morning at the police department.

Woodley remains free.

“He’s been helpful in helping us resolve some of those (previous burglary) issues,” Young said.

Young said the firearm theft is being handled by agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and  Firearms, and he expects them to bring charges in the hardware store incident later.

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If Woodley is convicted of violating federal firearms law, the minimum sentence is 10 years because of the number of guns involved.

Young said the firearms were recovered Monday. He said Woodley entered and exited the hardware store through the roof, using a tool to peel back the metal roofing material.

Records in Augusta District Court show Woodley was fined May 4 after being found guilty of a charge of theft by unauthorized taking which occurred No. 30, 2009, in Winthrop. Woodley’s residence is listed as Augusta in that document.

Police logs show Woodley was arrested a number of times in Winthrop and Augusta on various charges, including assault, criminal mischief and violating probation. He was also indicted in 2004 in Kennebec County Superior Court on felony charges of operating under the influence and operating after revocation.


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