Tilton pawn shop owner charged with receiving stolen property

SANBORNTON — The owner of a Tilton pawn shop has been indicted by a Belknap County grand jury for one count of receiving stolen property and one count of falsifying physical evidence.

The Jan. 27 indictments of Kevin J. Hobbs, 53, the owner Tilton Fast Cash on Laconia Road (Rte. 3) capped a two-year investigation that began with a theft from a Northfield home.

According to Belknap County Deputy Sheriff James McIntyre, who in late 2008 and early 2009 was a Northfield Police Officer, he began his investigation after a homeowner reported a number of items, including a plasma cutter, were stolen between Nov. 17, 2008 and Jan. 14, 2009.

McIntyre said police solved the burglary and charged a Northfield man with receiving stolen property. He said the man told them he had allegedly sold the stolen items to Fast Cash shortly after he stole them.

Working with Tilton Police, McIntyre said they recovered all of the stolen items except the plasma cutter that Hobbs allegedly told him had been sold the same day he purchased it.

McIntyre said Hobbs had provided police with paperwork for his purchase of the plasma cutter, allegedly told them he didn't realize the items were stolen, but had no paperwork for its alleged sale.

McIntyre also said the homeowner had given police not only the serial number of the plasma cutter — which is used in sheet metal fabrication and can cost new upwards of $1,200 — but also the make and model.

McIntyre also knew the plasma cutter was broken because the victim told him a certain part would need to be purchased from the manufacturer in order for it to become operable.

He said a two months later he got a phone call from the manufacturer telling him an auto body shop in Amherst had called them looking for the specific part and had given them the serial number of the stolen plasma cutter.

With his role in the issue largely over because it was out of his jurisdiction, McIntyre said he turned to case over to the State Police but the case remained unsolved.

When he joined the Belknap County Sheriff's Department, McIntyre said he regained statewide policing authority and restarted his investigation.

He said he contacted the owner of the Amherst shop, who allegedly told him that Hobbs had bartered the plasma cutter for some work he needed done on his personal vehicle.

McIntyre put his case together and presented it to the Belknap County Attorney Office that succeeded in getting Hobbs indicted.

Hobbs, who lives in Mont Vernon, next door to Amherst, remains free on $20,000 personal recognizance bail.