LONDONDERRY — An Auburn man, whom police say has an Oxycontin addiction, has been arrested for allegedly stealing a large amount of tools and storing them at the Londonderry home of a known drug dealer.
Michael Norton, of 34 McQueston Drive, had two theft charges tacked on to his criminal record on Aug. 28, while he is already in county jail on two forgery charges out of Salem. He was arraigned on the theft charges in Derry District Court that day and is being held on $5,000 cash bail.
Norton is facing charges that he stole the power tools and construction equipment, such as air compressors, saws and a job site radio, from a storage unit on Arrow Drive.
The owner of the tools, Mike Salvo, reported them missing from his storage unit to Londonderry police on April 22. They were found the next day, when police raided a Gillette Drive home owned by William Johnson and arrested him on four felony drug charges, according to a police affidavit.
During a 14-hour search of Johnson's home, police found about 112 pills of methadone, Oxycontin, hydrocodone acetaminophen and suboxone, and a bundle of cocaine in addition to the stolen tools.
Police raided the home, after federal law enforcement officials informed them that Johnson was a known Oxycontin dealer who gets his supply from four individuals in the Boston area. An undercover Londonderry police officer purchased the drugs from Johnson on two occasions.
Johnson was indicted by a Rockingham County grand jury last month on five felony drug charges.
Salvo was able to identify 17 items found at Johnson's home as being stolen from his storage unit, according to a police affidavit.
When police questioned Johnson in April, he told police that Norton had been staying with him and was the owner of a Honda Accord in his driveway where some of the stolen tools were found. The remainder of the tools were found in the home, according to the affidavit.
Police interviewed Norton at the Rockingham County jail on May 19 and he admitted that he had a drug problem and was stealing items to exchange for Oxycontin, according to the affidavit.
Norton was formerly served an arrest warrant on Wednesday, according to police.
