BROOKLINE — Anthony P. Binsfield always told the same story, authorities said.
The licensed refrigeration technician walked into Coolidge Corner businesses and told employees he was there to work on heating or air conditioning systems or check on a thermostat, police said.
The story was Binsfield’s ticket to private areas of beauty salons and restaurants, where authorities allege he stole cash, wallets, and credit cards that employees had stored out of view while they worked.
Since last Tuesday, Binsfield had repeated the phony tale more than a half dozen times at Brookline businesses, court records show. Before that, police allege Binsfield talked his way into at least at four establishments in Boston using the same ruse.
“The term brazen I think fits the bill,” Brookline police Lieutenant Philip Harrington said Thursday.
Officers put a stop to the scheme Wednesday evening on Harvard Street, where Binsfield, 32, was arrested after pilfering a wallet from a worker at The Paris Creperie, police said.
He got into the cafe by telling another employee that he worked for the property manager and needed to check the HVAC system, according to a police report. The same employee gave Binsfield a ladder so he could access machinery on the second floor, the report said.
He was arraigned Thursday afternoon in Brookline District Court where Binsfield, a Duxbury resident, faced charges of larceny from a building and attempting to commit a crime. Not-guilty pleas were entered on his behalf, and he was permitted to stand out of view of the courtroom.
A prosecutor alleged Binsfield also stole from workers at MiniLuxe salon and Bruegger’s Bagels on Harvard Street and at Supercuts on Beacon Street. He is accused of attempting his scam at Panera Bread on Harvard Street and 16 Handles, a frozen yogurt shop, court records show.
“He does pose a danger to the community,” Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Daniel Kaufman said. “He’s going around to various businesses . . . and stealing.”
After his arrest, Kaufman said Binsfield described himself to investigators as a heroin addict who recently relapsed.
In Boston, police suspect Binsfield of similar thefts at Tasty Burger in Dudley Square, Joe’s American Bar & Grill on Newbury Street, Bostonia Public House on State Street, and Waxing the City in the North End, Kaufman said.
Boston police couldn’t provide details Thursday on charges Binsfield faces there. Last Wednesday, they issued a community alert, saying the HVAC repair ruse had been used nearly 20 times at businesses in the Back Bay and downtown.
Kaufman said Binsfield has 10 warrants. A spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney’s office said he had been charged in June with a string of breaking and entering cases.
Judge Mary Dacey White set Binsfield’s bail at $15,500. His case is set to be heard again next month.
Defense attorney Timothy Foley described Binsfield as a divorced father who lives with his parents and most recently worked in the mechanical engineering department at a local university. His client’s heroin addiction, Foley said, stemmed from medication he was prescribed to treat a high school football injury.
“It’s a story that’s all too familiar in the courts and in the Commonwealth,” he said.
Identification is expected to be an issue for prosecutors, Foley said.
Binsfield identified himself in surveillance footage taken from six Brookline businesses that he allegedly targeted, but he only admitted to stealing from Supercuts on Beacon Street, Kaufman said.
Ariel Cueto, who had money stolen from him at Supercuts, said he was happy Binsfield was arrested.
“He played with the trust of people,” Cueto said in a telephone interview. “It was unnerving.”
Binsfield was accused of stealing from two employees at MiniLuxe.
Erica Hartman, MiniLuxe’s studio director, said Binsfield’s story made sense because the building’s heat wasn’t working properly when he came in.
“He knew what he was talking about,” she said.
Binsfield is accused of stealing a credit card from Hartman and allegedly using it to buy smartphone applications. Her colleague had cash and a debit card stolen. Binsfield allegedly used the debit card to make $184 in purchases at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Quincy, the police report said.
“He’s been caught, and he hopefully can’t do it again,” Hartman said. “I think everyone’s relieved.”
John R. Ellement of the Globe Staff contributed to this report. Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi.