By Nathan Duke
Staff Writer

Police solved both an eight-year- old case and a recent burglary when they arrested a Manchester man at his home.

William Osborne, 36, was arrested for an April 5 burglary in Auburn, in which he allegedly stole a number of household items, including jewelry, credit cards and camera equipment.

When police searched his home at 78 Belmont St. in Manchester, they found stolen items from an eight-year-old burglary in Auburn, as well as a number of items to whom authorities are still unsure they belong.

Auburn police officer David Fletcher has been credited with his diligence in solving the burglary in an Auburn police release. He was assisted in the case by other Auburn officers, the Manchester Police Department, the New Hampshire Department of Corrections and Filene's security.

The search of Osborne's home provides evidence that he is an experienced burglar, said Fletcher.

"This guy is an acquirer, a collector," he said. "He does not dispose of anything."

Fletcher described the items found in Osborne's house as "unique" and said most of them were not of great value.

"A lot of the items are not necessarily very expensive, but more of sentimental value," he said. "There was not much monetary value, but we recovered many pieces that made the family happy."

Military artifacts, memorabilia, coins and bill collections are among the items found in the house.

Fletcher said the victims of the eight-year-old burglary were both happy and surprised to finally receive their long-lost items, which included old photos.

He said police are currently still attempting to track down other items stolen from the house.

On April 5, the Auburn Police Department investigated a burglary at a McEvoy Drive residence. The case led police to Filene's at the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester, where one of the stolen credit cards was used.

Filene's security provided the Auburn police with a videotape of two women using the credit card. Shortly thereafter, the tape was aired on WMUR-TV news on April 12 and one of the women came forward, giving police information about how she came into possession of the card through Osborne.

The two women, who have both been identified by Manchester police, have not been charged and their involvement with Osborne is currently under investigation.

One of the women said they were using the credit card with Osborne's authority, whom they knew by nickname.

Osborne is also a fugitive from the New Hampshire Department of Corrections and was held on that warrant.

He confessed to the burglary and agreed to cooperate in the investigation. He will be arraigned on the charge of burglary, a Class B felony that could, if convicted, require a three-and-a-half- to seven-year prison sentence, said Fletcher.

Auburn police said the investigation is ongoing and that the burgled house did not appear to be targeted.