Two men have been charged with stealing 19 crates of lobster worth more than $9,000 from a Harpswell lobster dealer in September.
The Maine Marine Patrol said Tuesday that Troy J. Woodman, 34, of Warren and Shane Hall, 29, of Portland stole the lobsters from the lobster pound at Quahog Bay Inn – Woodman on Sept. 17 and Hall on Sept. 25 and 27.
Additional theft charges against Woodman are expected to be filed for thefts that occurred at Quahog on Sept. 24, 25 and 27, and Oct. 6, and at Maggie’s Seafood in South Bristol on Oct. 9 and 16, the Marine Patrol said.
“We take cases like this very seriously,” said Marine Patrol Col. Jon Cornish. “Theft of this magnitude deprives hard-working, law-abiding Mainers of their livelihood and undermines our coastal economy.”
The arrests are the result of a monthlong Marine Patrol investigation into the thefts. The Marine Patrol said it is investigating the sale and purchase of the stolen lobsters.
Hall is in the Knox County Jail facing one count of Class D theft and one count of Class C theft, as well as six other charges, including aggravated assault and kidnapping, for allegedly forcing a woman into his vehicle as she walked home in Rockland in late September. Woodman was charged with one count of Class C theft. He was arrested Oct. 17 and taken to the Cumberland County Jail.
In Maine, Class C crimes carry a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of $5,000. Class D crimes are punishable by no more than one year in jail and a fine of $2,000.
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