A Penacook man arrested yesterday for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars' worth of artwork from the Kimball-Jenkins Estate last month said he feels remorse for his actions.

"I feel guilty, shameful and very remorseful for what I have done," Kirby Griffith said of the incident yesterday. "That's all I can say."

Griffith, 26, turned himself in to the police shortly before noon yesterday for his alleged connection to the Concord theft. He was charged with one felony count of burglary and released on $5,000 personal recognizance bail before his arraignment.

Reached by phone yesterday, Griffith declined to discuss details of the burglary and would not comment on whether others were involved in the break-in and theft last month.

The heist occurred at the North Main Street gallery after hours between June 25 and 26. The stolen items included 14 of 20 black-and-white silver gelatin photographs from artist Michael Garlington's Portraits From The Belly of the Whale collection.

Garlington said last month that each photograph was worth about $1,200. According to the police, the estate estimated about $42,000 in art was stolen.

Other than the press release announcing Griffith's arrest, the Concord Police Department has not supplied additional information about the case. According to Deputy Police Chief John Duval, the investigation is active and ongoing.

Ryan Linehan, director of education and operations at Kimball-Jenkins, said the estate was familiar with Griffith, but he would not elaborate further.

"We know of him," Linehan said. "I'm not sure what I can say right now. . . . Our main concern is getting the artwork returned, and that's what we're focusing on. Hopefully it has not been damaged or destroyed."

Citing "lasting ramifications" on the gallery due to increased insurance costs from the theft, Linehan said though the estate probably would not pursue civil charges against Griffith, it would push "for the harshest sentence possible."

According to his Facebook page, Griffith graduated from Merrimack Valley High School in 2001 and is majoring in business at NHTI.

His arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 27 in Concord District Court.