A Bangor Public Library volunteer has been charged with felony theft after allegedly trying to sell stolen Civil War photographs and World War II memorabilia.

Russell Graves, 27, of Bangor was charged with theft and violating bail conditions in connection with the theft of $31,000 in items from the library’s collection.

Additional Photos

Some of the items stolen from Bangor Public Library and later recovered.
Some of the items stolen from Bangor Public Library and later recovered. Courtesy Bangor Police Department
Russell Graves
Russell Graves Courtesy Bangor Police Department

Police and the library first learned of the theft Feb. 26, when the owner of Maritime International, a shop that deals in coins, medals and historical memorabilia, reported that a man tried to sell a large number of photographs and memorabilia, but refused to show a photo ID.

The owner, Paul Zebiak, notified the library. Staff checked and found a large number of items missing from the collections.

The next day, a woman tried to sell the same items at the same store, police said. The owner stalled her until police arrived.

Police then were able to locate Graves and recover the collection intact.

David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

[email protected]

Twitter: @Mainehenchman

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