Suspect in Fredericton library vandalism arrested, faces 3 charges

A 31-year-old man has been arrested after a breaking this week caused significant damage to theFredericton Public Library.

The man ischarged with break and enter, mischief over $5,000 and theft over $5,000, Sonya Gilks, spokesperson for the Fredericton police, said Friday.

When the police first informed the public of the break-in, which happened Monday,it wasn't yet known that a theft was involved, and Gilks didn't have any more information Friday about what was stolen or if it was recovered.

Earlier, Ben Wolthers, chair of the library board, described the vandalism as shocking and said it mainly targetedelectronics and infrastructure but not books.

Gilks told reporters all of the fire extinguishers had been sprayed, walls were broken down to gain access to locked spaces and computers and TV monitors were damaged.

A water fountain was also ripped off the wall, drains plugged and taps turned on, causing water damage.

On Facebook on Thursday, the library thankedthe public for the support and confirmed that the library's book collection was not damaged.

The post went on to say that the city has been working with library staff to get the building prepared, and the plan is to re-open on Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Gilks said Kelly Gordon Kleim presented himself to police on Thursday and was then arrested. He was remanded into custody until a court appearance on Oct. 7. There are no other suspects at this time, she said.

"During the course of the investigation, which included the review of video footage from community and public safety cameras that's how police had identified the suspect." she said.