CARIBOU, Maine — Police have arrested a Caribou man and charged him in connection with the theft of about $365 from members of a Canadian roller derby team as they played against a local team at the recreation center Saturday night.
The theft was reported after the Canadian women returned to the locker room following Saturday’s match between the Fredericton, New Brunswick, Capital City Rollers’ Spitfires and the Aroostook Roller Derby’s Biohazards at the Caribou Recreation Center.
Attendants reported seeing a man in the women’s locker room during the competition and Caribou police arrested Robert Dobbins, 20, on Monday after reviewing video images from security cameras at the facility.
Because of his “extensive criminal history,” police said Tuesday that the theft charge against Dobbins was elevated from Class D to Class C felony level.
Police said Tuesday that the case was still open and they could not about whether the money was recovered.
As of Tuesday, Dobbins remained at the Caribou jail with bail set at $1,000 cash or $5,000 surety. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 8.
While Gary Marquis, superintendent of the Caribou Recreation Department, was absent Saturday night, he attributed the crime’s quick resolution to the presence of security cameras at the facility and to the efforts of recreation department staffers and the Caribou Police Department.
Aroostook Roller Derby League President Jessica Baird said the incident upset her, but she was thankful that the police caught the alleged thief.
“We want to bring more games to The County, but we also want those teams to feel safe to come play,” said Baird, adding that her roller derby league reimbursed the Canadian team for the stolen money.
“Since we’re a non-profit, we reimbursed them with our own money, which we thought was the right thing to do,” Baird said. “Nobody can afford to have something like that happen to them.”
Baird hopes something comes out of the thief’s arrest, and that it deters others from trying anything similar during future games.
“It’s pretty upsetting,” Baird said. “You don’t want anything to happen to your sense of security, especially when you’re coming to the states to play a a game. We’re promoting Caribou, Aroostook Roller Derby, and the Rec Center, so it’s upsetting to have that happen.”
Baird, like Marquis, said she was thankful to both the police and recreation department staffers.
“The police were very quick to respond to our call, and they were great to deal with as far as taking our information,” Baird said. “And without the Rec Center’s help, we wouldn’t have video surveillance to help out. So we’d like to thank them as well as the community for coming to the game and showing their support.”
