OXFORD – New York State Police and Oxford Police arrested an Oxford man Friday, accusing him of breaking into a village business. He’s now the prime suspect in over a dozen home burglaries and several other thefts across two counties.

Michael K. Purdy, 19, of 20 South Washington St. Oxford, has so far only been charged with a single count of third-degree burglary for allegedly stealing cash and donation containers from Hoppie’s Restaurant in Oxford.

He was arraigned in Town of Oxford Court before Judge John Weidman and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 cash bail.

State Police said a search warrant was executed at a residence in the Village of Sherburne in relation to the case, in which they discovered money and items allegedly taken from several other home burglaries and larcenies from vehicles in the area.

Police now say Purdy is the prime suspect in over a dozen home burglaries and a number of thefts where items were taken from unlocked vehicles.

The cases are allegedly linked to crimes being investigated in the cities of Norwich and Cortland, the Village of Sherburne and Oxford.

Oxford Police Chief Richard Nolan said his local department had contributed nearly 40 hours investigating the local Hoppie’s burglary and condemned Purdy for stealing non-profit donation containers set out by the store owner to aid a local man fighting cancer.