Police

Cops: Jailed homeless man linked to 2013 religious store burglary

Police say Steven Dohner is being held on burglary charges in connection with three alleged thefts, two in Center Moriches in June and one from Riverhead in 2013. (Credit: Google Maps)
Police say Steven Dohner is being held on burglary charges in connection with three alleged thefts, two in Center Moriches in June and one from Riverhead in 2013. (Credit: Google Maps)

A 50-year-old homeless man being held in jail for breaking into a Center Moriches liquor store twice in June has been charged with burglary in connection with a break-in at a religious music store more than a year ago, Riverhead Town police said. 

McElroy’s Music and Religious Supply Center on West Main Street was broken into during the early morning of March 30, 2013, police said. Police recovered fingerprints from the scene and entered them into the county’s system, Riverhead police said.

Those fingerprints were eventually matched up with those of Steven Dohner, a homeless man who was already in county police custody and had been living at a homeless shelter in town at the time of the alleged burglary, police said.

Suffolk County police said Mr. Dohner had been arrested on June 30 for stealing liquor from behind the counter at Center Spirits on Main Street in Center Moriches. Police said Mr. Dohner broke in twice — once on June 29 and again the next day; he was caught six hours after the second alleged burglary, police said.

Mr. Dohner had been charged with two counts of felony burglary and was being held in Suffolk County jail on $50,000 bail  when his fingerprints were linked to the 2013 burglary.

Riverhead police arrested Mr. Dohner out of jail and charged him with a third count of felony burglary. He was arraigned in Riverhead Town court and returned back to jail until his next court appearance, police said.

[email protected]