by Guy Page

With the help of a K-9 officer, police have busted the alleged Bradford golf shoe burglar.  

Police say the suspect is among the Orange County town’s growing number of homeless transients.  

Sunday August 27, Bradford Police responded to a reported burglary at the Bradford Golf Club located at 150 Memorial Field in Bradford. Police learned that during the early morning hours an individual(s) forced entry into the club house, stealing cash, gear, food, and other items.   

Police located some of the stolen items in the nearby woods, however several items are still outstanding. Of note, several pairs of dark colored Puma Ignite golf shoes were stolen.  

Monday at 8 AM, Bradford Police learned of two suspicious males on Rowell Brook Road in Bradford. The caller reported seeing the individuals clad in black, wearing masks, and carrying backpacks earlier that morning. Bradford Police responded but were unable to locate anyone matching that description.   

Three hours later police responded to a reported camp burglary in that area and a male running through the woods nearby. Police located and detained Eugene Kilchewski, 46, homeless, in a yard at a Rowell Brook Road residence.   

Investigation led police to a camp located on Millpond Road in Fairlee that had just been burglarized. Two concerned citizens had encountered Kilchewski and another individual on Millpond Road a short time earlier carrying what they believed to be stolen property from this location. They seized this property and turned it over to responding officers.      

Officers then uncovered evidence of Kilchewski’s involvement in the burglary of the Bradford Golf Club the day before.   

Kilchewski was arrested on charges of Burglary (2 Counts), Grand Larceny, Petit Larceny, and Unlawful Mischief (Felony and Misdemeanor). He was lodged at the Northeast Regional Correctional Center in St. Johnsbury for lack of $25,000 bail. Bradford Police were assisted by Vermont State Police Troopers including a VSP K9.