Juvenile charged with mulitiple car burglaries

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — A 14-year-old male was apprehended for allegedly committing or attempting to commit 27 motor vehicle burglaries during the early morning hours Monday. The suspect’s name was not released due to his age.
    At 3:10 a.m., officers were dispatched to 14 Kelleran St. for a report of five vehicles that had been burglarized. The report was phoned in by one of the individual’s whose vehicle was vandalized. It was undetermined by presstime if any of the vehicles vandalized were locked.
    The juvenile could be charged with burglary of a motor vehicle and theft (multiple counts), and criminal mischief.
    Due to the fresh snow on the ground, officers were able to track the suspect from one location after another discovering where other motor vehicle burglaries had been committed.
    Officers followed the tracks to 11 High St., where they discovered five vehicles the suspect entered or attempted to enter. Officers continued to follow the trail, which led them to Ricker Plaza. At Ricker Plaza, the suspect entered or attempted to enter four vehicles.
    Continuing on, officers followed the tracks to Stepping Stones where the suspect entered or attempted to enter three vehicles. Tracks continued on to 72 Military St. and then to 76 Military St. where the suspect attempted entry or entered a total of four more vehicles. Glass was broken out of one of the cars at 76 Military St. The trail continued to 124 Main St. where the suspect entered or attempted entry into three vehicles. The suspect then walked to 4 Summer St., where he entered or attempted to enter two more vehicles. According to police, the suspect discarded some of the property stolen as he moved between locations.
    Officers tracked the suspect to an apartment building on Main Street, where he was confronted inside his residence by the officers. The suspect acknowledged his involvement in the crimes and retrieved some of the stolen property from his closet.
    The suspect was already out on conditional release for similar conduct committed in Presque Isle. The juvenille was transported to the police department, where he was subsequently transferred to the custody of the Department of Corrections.
    Property recovered includes a wallet, 21 compact discs and cases, two disc drives and $43.
    “People should be reminded that crime is all about opportunity,” Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin said. “Lock your car doors at night even if it is parked in your driveway and don’t leave valuables or cash in plain sight. Compact discs are a favorite target because they are hard to trace back to the owner and easy to sell. Always secure your GPS in the glove box or center console. Cameras and video recorders should be secured in the trunk or taken inside the home.”
    Investigating officers are Sgt. Frederick Parker and Officer Randall Wilson. Agents from the U.S. Border Patrol assisted the police department during the search for the suspect. Chief Asselin indicated that he was quite pleased with the response of the officers involved.
    “It was outstanding police and team work that enabled the officers to locate, identify and apprehend the suspect,” the chief said. “From my experience, the community would have experienced an unprecedented increase in the number of motor vehicle burglaries over the next few weeks had the suspect not been found and apprehended.”
    Chief Asselin felt that police are not aware of all the vehicles that had been entered and requests citizens call to report lost or stolen items from their vehicles. Complaints can be reported by calling 532-2287.