A 14-year-old from New Hampshire is in police custody after the teen allegedly stole vehicles in Franklin County, crashing one of them, authorities said.
The teenager, whom police would not identify, was charged with several felony and misdemeanor offenses Tuesday by the Farmington Police Department and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office after being arrested by the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office, according to Farmington police Detective Marc Bowering.
The teenager, who sent Maine police on the chase multiple times Monday, also is suspected of stealing vehicles in New Hampshire and Vermont.
The Waldo County Sheriff’s Department discovered evidence of three burglaries while searching for the suspect and believe the teenager was involved in them as well. The Waldo sheriff did not immediately return a message seeking more information on the burglaries.
Early Monday morning, campus police at the University of Maine at Farmington reported a speeding driver who reportedly wouldn’t stop. The car, which was determined to be stolen from New Hampshire, was found in a ditch later on New Vineyard Road in New Vineyard. It had front-end damage, Bowering said.
Later, a wrecker reported a car in a ditch on Fairbanks Road. Police discovered that car had been stolen near the area where the first was abandoned. That car was a total loss, Bowering said.
Waldo County sheriff’s officers tried to track the suspect with a police dog but were unsuccessful.
A few hours later, another abandoned vehicle was reported on Temple Road. Police tracked it back to a residence on Barlen Street and found the owner had reported it stolen. There was no visible damage to that car, Bowering said.
The teenager was charged with aggravated criminal mischief, a class C felony; three counts of unauthorized use of property, class D misdemeanors; operating without a license, a misdemeanor; two counts of failure to stop for a police officer, misdemeanors; and two counts of driving to endanger, also misdemeanors.
Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @madelinestamour
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