Law enforcement officials said a man accused of burglarizing the home of a Toms River paralympian while she competed in London was hiding under a bed when they attempted to arrest him and his girlfriend last week.
Kevin Tanfield, 32, and his alleged accomplice Stacy Atry, 23, both of Toms River, face receiving stolen property charges for having property that was allegedly taken from the home of paralympian Cheryl Leitner.
Toms River Police detectives, assisted by the U.S. Marshals Office and the Pemberton Police Department, arrested the duo in a home on Goodwater Avenue in Browns Mills last week. Police say they found Tanfield hiding under a bed at the residence.
In the Browns Mills home police say they recovered most of the jewelry, which included mementos and rings from Leitner’s past paralympian performances, that was taken when Leitner’s Nanlyn Terrace home was burglarized while she was in London. Three guns also taken from the home weren't recovered, police said.
Leitner’s family returned from the Paralympics on Sept. 9 to find their home ransacked.
"It's sad, it's sad to know that someone could do this," Leitner told NBC10’s Ted Greenberg earlier this month.
"I would just really like it back, it was something that meant a lot to me that I worked really hard to even get," the 29-year-old athlete said.
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Bail for Atry, who used to live at Leitner’s home, was set at $10,000 while bail for Tanfield was set at $20,000.
