Instruments stolen in Bangor

Bangor police are investigating the theft of a number of musical instruments from a truck parked at Northern Kingdom Music at 347 Harlow St.

A store representative reported to police Wednesday morning that someone entered the locked, capped bed of his company truck that was parked at the store sometime during the night or early morning.

Four flutes, a clarinet and an instrument repair case were reported missing. The value was $3,678.

Patrolman James Hassard said he saw no sign of forced entry on the truck. He reported that some papers and receipts were found in the alleyway between 347 Harlow St. and Capital Ambulance. Hassard then found a camera and camera case and a pair of boots in the middle of the alley.

The officer, accompanied by the store representative and Patrolman Shawn Green, followed a path in the snow leading toward Curve Street. The store representative noticed four imprints in the snow that appeared to be from his repair case, followed by the discovery of a name tag from one of the instruments on the front steps of 32 Curve St., a condemned building.

Green and Hassard searched three other condemned buildings on Curve Street, all with doors that had previously been forced open, but found nothing inside.

The case remains under investigation. There were no witnesses and no suspects.

A Carmel man was summoned on a charge of operating a motor vehicle after suspension of his driver’s license after he aroused the suspicions of a police officer.

Patrolman Steve Jordan reported that he was parked in the Ames lot watching traffic Monday when “a male approached me and asked if I was all set. Then he left and got into a silver Hyundai and a few minutes later he drove out of the lot onto Columbia Street. I checked with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the owner of the car was Jeffrey Hand, 22, of Carmel, and his license was suspended. I could not locate him.”

The next day Officer Jordan said he waited in the lot near the Hyundai and when Hand walked into the lot he called him by name and Hand answered. “I asked him for his license and he said he did not have it with him,” Jordan said. “I told him he did not have one and he agreed. He confirmed his name, date of birth and address and I gave him a summons for operating a motor vehicle after suspension of driver’s license.”

Officer Edward A. Mercier and Jordan were traveling on Hammond Street near Bangor Savings Bank on Tuesday night when they noticed a pickup truck heading into town with its plate light out. They turned to follow the truck and it made an abrupt turn onto Nason Avenue. The officers said they sped up to catch up to the truck and the driver of the truck sped down Nason Avenue and turned onto Leonard Street.

As the police turned onto Leonard Street, a passenger in the right side of the truck jumped out and ran away. Officer Jordan lit the truck with his spotlight and the driver opened the door and got out and ran to the front of the truck. The cruiser pulled up beside the truck and stopped just past it. Officer Mercier knew the driver was Todd Ayer and yelled to him by name. Ayer stopped running. As Mercier approached Ayer, the man moved as though he was planning to run again, Jordan said.

Jordan said Ayer was unsteady on his feet, his eyes were glassy and a strong odor of intoxicating beverage was on his breath and his speech was slurred. When asked if he had any problem with walking or balance, Ayer said he blew his knee out several times and just aggravated it by trying to run. When asked why he ran, he said the passenger told him to run.

Ayer first said he had had two beers, then admitted later to Jordan that he had had several. Ayer was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. He was taken to the police station and his blood-alcohol test registered at 0.16 percent. Ayer was taken to Penobscot County Jail.

The officers interviewed three of the passengers in the truck and asked who the fourth passenger was and why he ran, but the passengers said they did not know who he was or why he ran. They said they were returning from Miami North.

– Compiled by NEWS staffer David N. Walsh