Waterville robbery suspect still at large

WATERVILLE – A suspect in the robbery of a Waterville motel remained at large Tuesday, one day after he fled state troopers who tried to arrest him on the Maine Turnpike.

The suspect, who has yet to be identified, is described as a black male, about 5 feet 9 inches tall with dreadlocks. He last was seen near Exit 8 of the Maine Turnpike in Portland.

The robbery happened around 4:15 a.m. Monday when two men, one carrying a shotgun, walked into the lobby of the Budget Host Inn off Kennedy Memorial Drive and demanded money.

After obtaining less than $200, the men fled with three other males in a brown Volkswagen Jetta. Waterville police put out an all-points bulletin about 20 minutes later.

Around 5 a.m., 45 minutes after the robbery, a toll taker reported seeing a car matching the description pass through a tollbooth on the Maine Turnpike in New Gloucester. A state trooper began following the car as two other troopers set up along the highway in Portland.

When the troopers stopped the car just north of Exit 8, four of the suspects surrendered at gunpoint. The fifth suspect fled across four lanes of traffic, climbed a fence and ran into the woods.

Charged on Monday with armed robbery were Dennis J. Mooney, 23, and Manuel A. Roderick, 22, both of New Bedford, Mass. A 17-year-old from Portland and a 16-year-old from Swansea, Mass., face similar charges.

During questioning, none of them would identify the fifth suspect. Waterville police impounded the car and, after obtaining a search warrant, seized a loaded 12-gauge pump-action shotgun from the vehicle.

Mooney and Roderick are scheduled to make their initial appearances in Waterville District Court this morning.

Each is being held in the Kennebec County Jail in lieu of one piece of Maine property worth $250,000.