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Historic Eldredge Public Library in Chatham, Mass., where books were stolen. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Cape Cod man indicted in theft of library books

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Historic Eldredge Public Library in Chatham, Mass., where books were stolen. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Historic Eldredge Public Library in Chatham, Mass., where books were stolen. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP) – A Barnstable man accused of stealing valuable books from several Cape Cod libraries has been indicted on several larceny charges.

Arthur Souza was indicted by a Barnstable Superior Court grant jury last week.

Investigators allege that the 52-year-old Souza stole library books and sold them to a Chatham antiques dealer, who then sold them on the auction website eBay. Some of the books sold for hundreds of dollars.

Police tell the Cape Cod Times that Souza stole books from libraries in Harwich, Brewster, Barnstable, Yarmouth and Chatham.

A librarian tipped off other libraries after she got a call from a man who spotted a book bearing the library’s markings on eBay.

He pleaded not guilty in district court. His Superior Court arraignment has not been scheduled.

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Information from: Cape Cod Times, http://www.capecodonline.com

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-08-28-12 1538GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Historic Eldredge Public Library in Chatham, Mass., where books were stolen. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Historic Eldredge Public Library in Chatham, Mass., where books were stolen. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.