GARDNER — On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at around 12:38 a.m., Officer Elijah Williams of the Gardner Police Department was on patrol when he said he could hear an alarm going off inside the Gardner Elks Lodge #1426 on Park Street.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Elijah Williams and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Officer Williams said he requested another officer respond to the scene and began to investigate.
“While walking up to the front door, I observed that it was locked,” Officer Williams said. “As I walked towards the back of the building, I noticed a window was open on the front side of the building.”
Officer Williams looked through the open window and said he saw that the air conditioner had been pushed onto the floor.
“I then was able to see a male in all black sitting in a chair inside the building,” Officer Williams said. “I began issuing commands for the male party to show me his hands and walk toward me, and he complied.”
At this time, Officer Frimpong Antwi arrived on scene.
Together, Officer Antwi and Officer Williams helped the male party – later identified as Gabriel Simon – out of the window.
According to police, Gabriel Simon, 20, is a resident of Ellington, Connecticut. Court documents indicate he’s single, unemployed, and his general appearance is “disorderly.”
“Gabriel was placed in handcuffs (DL) and walked to my cruiser. I advised Gabriel he was under arrest for breaking and entering into a building in the nighttime for a felony,” Officer Williams said. “Gabriel claimed he thought it was a church and that he thought he couldn’t be charged for breaking into a church.”
Officer Williams searched Simon before placing him into his cruiser and transporting him to the Gardner Police Department where he was booked and placed into a holding cell.
“Officer Antwi stayed on scene and did a walk-through with the key holder, who said there was nothing missing and no damage done to the building,” Officer Williams said.
Gabriel Simon was arrested and charged with the following:
- Breaking & Entering Building Nighttime for Felony
Simon’s bail was set at $2,500 cash.
Simon’s arraignment was scheduled for Oct. 14, 2025, in Gardner District Court.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in October, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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