HOULTON, Maine — Thirsty Dawg owner Kent Good said Monday afternoon that in his eight years of business in Houlton he has never felt as threatened as he did Friday when his shop was held up by an armed robber.
“I feel violated,” Good said. “Armed robbery is a scary thing. I take it very personally. My crew is like my second family. It was a brazen act.”
Houlton police Lt. Stephen Nason said that the crime at the 9 Florence Ave business, which sells beer and wine, took place at about 1 p.m. As of Monday afternoon, no individual had been arrested.
According to police, an individual who was about 6 feet tall with a slim to medium build and dressed in a camouflage jacket, black pants, black mask and wearing black gloves walked into the store, brandished a gun and demanded money.
Police would not elaborate on what type of gun it was.
Good said he was not at the business at the time of the robbery, as he had just left to make a deposit at a local bank.
“One of the employees called me, the other called 9-1-1,” Good said. “The person who called me was hysterical. I couldn’t understand what she was telling me, so I got right back here immediately.”
Based on what his employees told him, the subject entered the bottle redemption side of the business and stuck a gun into the back of one of two employees working there and demanded money. After taking what money there was in the bottle redemption business and the beer store, the subject fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.
Good said he did not believe any alcohol was stolen in the robbery.
A Maine State Police canine was brought in to track the suspect and followed his trail for a short distance down Bangor Street.
“That is where the trail ended,” said Nason. “We believe he got into a vehicle there.”
Good commended the Houlton Police Department for its quick response, and said he has been working closely with them as the investigation continues. He also thanked the community for the overwhelming support he has received in the days after the robbery took place.
He plans to install new security cameras both inside and outside the property, and will also install additional lighting outside the building. He also took another step to ensure that something similar does not happen.
“I have never owned a gun in my life until Saturday,” he said. “I will not be violated like that again. I am not a gun guy, but I will take steps to protect my crew and my property. That said, there is nothing in this building worth losing your life over.”
Good added he wished he had been at the business at the time of the robbery so that his employees would not have had to experience the traumatic event alone.
“I will never forgot the feeling of my employee just trembling out of fear,” he said. “I’ve never seen a person that scared before.”
Good said despite the experience both employees reported to work the next day.
Houlton Police Interim Chief Daniel Pelletier said Monday evening at the Town Council meeting that they are taking this “very seriously.”
“This doesn’t happen every day, especially in Houlton,” he said. “There is not very much that I can share about this investigation with the public. Officer Richard York and Lt. Steve Nason and leading the investigation.”
Councilor Rosa McNally asked how long it took before the call was made to other agencies to get them involved in the investigation.
Pelletier said that Houlton police officers were at the scene within two minutes of the call being placed, and within 10 minutes, Bangor Street was flooded with officers from the Maine State Police, including a canine unit who was searching for the robber, Aroostook County Sheriff’s officers, and U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Police are reviewing video surveillance from businesses in the area of Bangor Street to see if they captured any images of the suspect. Anyone who may have information is asked to call Houlton police at 532-2287.
