A maintenance worker in a Newtown Lane building housing a luxury women’s fashion shop was charged with burglary on Monday after police spotted him on camera stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise.
Jon Robert Ball, 47, of West Sayville was charged with third-degree burglary and third-degree grand larceny, both felonies, and criminal trespassing in the third degree, a misdemeanor. He worked as a cleaner in the upstairs offices of the shop, Kirna Zabete.
Inventory started to go missing on Aug. 27, the shop’s owner told police. First was a Bottega Veneta purse valued at $4,700 and Pucci-brand sleeping shorts reportedly retailing at $695. Then, lace boxer shorts worth a combined $695, another Bottega Veneta leather bag valued at $1,390, and two green silk dresses together worth $2,780, disappeared from the basement stock room.
According to Juliana Cukaj, the manager, Mr. Ball called her on Aug. 31 and said he’d found the building’s basement door unlocked that morning, being held open with a brick. She said he’d later admitted entering the basement at that time “out of curiosity,” but denied stealing any of the missing items.
He then called village police, apparently after the manager filed her report, and repeated his version of events.
Police said a surveillance camera captured Mr. Ball, dressed in a blue shirt, a gray hat, and shorts, using the flashlight on his cellphone, “removing items from boxes and going through clothing that was hanging on the racks.” He reportedly then placed “multiple items into a bag located on the floor.”
Beth Buccini, an owner of the shop, told police that the building’s property manager had identified Mr. Ball in the footage.
Mr. Ball turned himself in to village detectives after they notified him that he was being charged with the crimes.
After doing a complete inventory check, Kirna Zabete reported missing nearly $9,000 in merchandise.
Mr. Ball appeared on Monday in East Hampton Town Justice Court before Justice Steven Tekulsky, and was released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to be back in court on Oct. 1.