PORTAGE LAKE, Maine — A former Maine Guide from Portage Lake is facing felony theft charges for allegedly deceiving out-of-state hunters into paying him for moose hunts that never happened.
Eldon Jandreau, 62, of Suffield, Connecticut, was arrested by the Suffield Police Department on April 6, on four outstanding arrest warrants issued out of Aroostook County, according to the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office.
Jandreau, who is charged with theft by deception, was released on bail from Connecticut after promising to appear in Presque Isle District Court within 72 hours. He appeared on April 9 and was released on bail from the Presque Isle Court with an arraignment date scheduled for August.
Jandreau was working as a Registered Maine Guide and taxidermist in the Portage Lake area at the time of the allegations dating back to 2012, according to the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office received three complaints from out-of-state hunters between 2012 and 2015, accusing Jandreau of taking deposits for moose permits and guided hunts and failing to deliver them.
Jandreau, who later moved to Connecticut, allegedly failed to deliver on the hunts and could not be reached by the customers, according to the sheriff’s office. He allegedly took and did not return more than $10,000 in total from the individuals who made the three complaints, the sheriff’s office reported.
There were three other similar complaints against Jandreau dating back to before 2012, according to police, but they cannot be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations.
