Fired shots lead to hunt for pickup truck driver

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department was searching Wednesday for the owner of a compact late-model pickup truck that they believe is responsible for firing shots through the doors of two businesses in Penobscot and Orland.

Deputy Jason Lepper said someone fired a rifle shot through the front door of the Penobscot Redemption Center just after 9:30 p.m. Monday. The bullet entered through the glass panel on the door and smashed through a rack of sauces before becoming lodged in the back wall of the building.

Lepper said the owners of the building heard the shot, but didn’t realize that the round had hit their building until the next morning.

No one was in the building at the time of the shot and no one was injured in the incident.

A second business was also fired upon just a few minutes later, according to Lepper. Someone in an old black compact pickup venting considerable exhaust is believed to have pulled up to the Orland Market at 9:45 p.m. and fired a shotgun blast through the front door.

People were in apartments above the store at the time, and Lepper said they saw the truck pull away from the store after the shot was fired. The shotgun round entered the glass panel on the front door and damaged merchandise inside. Lepper said no one was injured.

Lepper said he believes the two incidents are linked and that the people responsible will likely face charges of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and criminal mischief. Anyone with information on the two incidents is urged to call the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department at 667-7575.