A New Boston handyman has been arrested for stealing from the elderly people at the apartment building he maintained.

Michael Pass, 3900 Rhodes Ave. Apt. 715, was arrested Friday by the New Boston Police Department on felony burglary charges.

New Boston Police Capt. Steve Goins said that a woman filed a report about her missing medication. So she installed a hidden video camera in her Buckeye Towers apartment.

“On Thursday evening, it caught Mr. Pass entering her apartment using, probably, his master pass key, and stealing her medication,” Goins said. Pass had been the maintenance man at Buckeye Towers for 11 years and had an apartment in the building.

Goins said Pass was charged with two counts of burglary, one for the Thursday incident and one for a March 8 incident the same woman reported to the police.

“It's the same probable cause and the same method of operation to charge him in both cases,” he said, adding there was no sign of forced entry in either case. Goins said the charges were increased from a second-degree felony to a first-degree felony because the crime victim was elderly.

Goins said that since 2004, eight other reports have been filed with his department from Buckeye Tower residents, including theft of medication and jewelry.

He said in a search of Pass' apartment, they recovered a large quantity of pills wrapped up in paper towels or envelopes.

Goins said that Pass didn't confess to any thing and asked for a lawyer.

“So we will be investigating the other eight reports to see if we can tie him into those burglaries,” he said. “And we will ask the county prosecutor about additional charges on the other burglaries.”

He said Pass didn't have any previous criminal record.

Pass will be arraigned Tuesday in the Portsmouth Municipal Court.

MARK SHAFFER can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 235.