NEW HARTFORD — A 72-year-old man faces felony charges after allegedly entering a mobile MRI trailer and causing $125,000 in damage by releasing helium gas that compromised the equipment.
Kevin J. Capstraw was arrested and charged with third-degree burglary and criminal tampering following an investigation by the New Hartford Police Department.
On April 17, employees at Open MRI of The Mohawk Valley on Commercial Drive reported that someone had entered their mobile MRI trailer and tampered with equipment inside.
The intruder released approximately 1,000 liters of helium gas, which compromised the MRI’s magnetic field and rendered the equipment unusable.
The case was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division, which developed leads and identified a suspect.
On May 1 at 11:30 a.m., New Hartford Police patrol officers located Capstraw in the commercial district and determined he was the suspect being sought in connection with the investigation.
Capstraw was charged with one count of burglary in the third degree, a Class D felony, and one count of criminal tampering in the third degree, a Class B misdemeanor.
He was arraigned in the Town of New Hartford Court and remanded to the Oneida County Jail pending a felony hearing next week.
