Lobster theft inquiry grows in Rockland

ROCKLAND – The stolen lobster caper cracked Wednesday night continues.

Apparently, the 136 live crustaceans police found crawling around the inside of a vehicle stopped for speeding that night were the lucky ones that got away.

Another 50 pounds of cooked lobsters also were found Wednesday night at an undisclosed residence, and 5 pounds of the shellfish were found dead, Knox County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Todd Butler said Friday.

Law enforcement officials believe a total of 245 pounds of lobster had been taken from Maine Coast Seafood in Spruce Head that night by a 22-year-old man, who had not yet been arrested as of Friday afternoon.

“The live and cooked lobsters were released to Maine Coast Seafood in Spruce Head,” Butler said.

Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, Rockland Police stopped Doreen Beerman, 44, of Rockland for speeding and discovered 136 unrestrained live lobsters inside her car, a 1996 Geo Prism.

Soon after, Beerman was swarmed with law enforcement agents. Rockland police arrested her for allegedly operating under the influence of intoxicants and operating without a license. Then the sheriff’s department charged her with receiving stolen property. And the Maine Marine Patrol jumped in with a summons for possession of lobster without a license.

The fisheries violation could entail a fine of $250, according to Marine Patrol Sgt. Victor Cole.

Police believe Beerman, who had a birthday that day, and the unidentified male are tied to seven reports of slashing tires in Owls Head, Spruce Head and St. George. The pair face possible charges of criminal mischief, burglary and theft, Butler said.

After Beerman’s arrest, the nearly 200 pounds of live lobsters that had been flopping around in her vehicle were carefully stuffed into crates by Marine Patrol Specialist Rene Cloutier, who stored them near the Maine Ferry Terminal until the rightful owner picked them up.