Daniel Elam
By Megan Alley
Sun staff

A Franklin Township man was arrested on March 4 for his involvement in a recent string of church and library burglaries.

The Clermont County Sheriff’s Office arrested Daniel Elam, 56, in connection with multiple burglaries at The Felicity Christian Church, located at 847 state Route 133, and The Felicity Methodist Church, located at 421 W. Walnut St., and one burglary at the Felicity Branch of the Clermont County Public Library, located at 209 Prather Road.

Burglary reports from the churches significantly increased between Feb. 26 and March 4, according to a press release. During this time, The Felicity Christian Church reported four burglaries, and The Felicity Methodist Church reported one burglary.

About 24 hours before the arrest, investigators from the sheriff’s office began a covert operation that later identified Elam as a suspect in the burglaries, according to Steve Leahy, chief deputy for the sheriff’s office.

“We did do some surveillance on him and ultimately caught him,” Leahy said.

He added, “We were actually keeping an eye on the locations, because he was repetitively coming back to them; it worked out really well.”

Elam was interviewed by investigators and confessed to all five church burglaries, as well a break-in that was reported at the library.

Elam was arrested for one count of Breaking and Entering, a felony of the fifth degree; Leahy said the sheriff’s office will be presenting additional counts.

Investigators searched Elam’s home, located in the 200 block of North Market Street in Felicity, and found stolen property valued at $1,500. Several computers and other electronic devices were among the items recovered, according to a press release. All the recovered items were returned to the churches.

Elam is currently detained at the Clermont County Jail on a $50,000 bond. He appeared in the Clermont County Municipal Court on March 7 for his arraignment.

The investigation will be reviewed with the Prosecutor’s Office and will be presented to the Clermont County Grand Jury for consideration of additional charges.

Investigators are currently reviewing reports and coordinating efforts with surrounding police agencies in an attempt to identify additional victims, according to a press release.

“We haven’t had any issues since,” Leahy said. “So, those are always great when you end up catching somebody when they’re breaking in, especially churches.”