MONTICELLO, NY — Michael Chase, 43, of Liberty, was arrested on January 31 by deputies from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office. Chase was wanted on two bench warrants, one charging violation of probation, a felony, the other charging possession of a controlled substance and evidence tampering.

He was picked up as he left the Catskill Regional Medical Center. Chase is also the subject of an investigation by the sheriff’s office involving the theft of tools and other equipment from unlocked vehicles parked at Home Depot and Walmart in Monticello.

Chase gained notoriety in April of 2010 when he and a codefendant, Nickie Circelli, were dubbed “The Monticello Tool Bandits,” after deputies arrested them for stealing from contractors’ vehicles parked at the Thompson Square Mall.

Last year Circelli committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge after being implicated in a murder in Suffern. Michael Chase was committed to the Sullivan County Jail without bail. The investigation is continuing.