ELY – A 22-year-old Ely resident faces a felony burglary charge after he allegedly broke into a downtown business and stole thousands of dollars worth of knives.

According to a criminal complaint from the Ely Police Department, Troy Stahl, 22, was charged with third-degree burglary after he allegedly stole $8,500 worth of knives from Piragis Northwoods Co. in August.

Several surveillance videos at the business showed a man in the store after hours on July 31 whom Ely Police Officer Adam Borchert identified as Stahl. Subsequent videos, recorded in mid-August, showed a man wearing clothing that Officer Borchert said he saw Stahl wearing in the past.

In an Aug. 15 interview with Officer Borchert, according to the complaint, Stahl admitted to breaking into the Piragis store using a rewards card.

The report indicated that Stahl said he “needed money to pay his debt to a drug dealer so he decided to steal knives.”

Officers accompanied Stahl to his residence where they retrieved three knives and sheaths, three empty sheaths, and price tags for other knives from Piragis. Stahl also gave Borchert a pair of green pants, a pair of camo pants, a blue/black button-up shirt and a backpack that he had been wearing when he broke into Piragis.

The third-degree burglary charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.