Police to hold 2nd viewing of recovered stolen items

Members of a special police task force investigating area burglaries will meet with the victims of the burglaries on Wednesday to identify the remaining stolen items.

The viewing of the recovered property is a follow up to one held on Feb. 11 and intended for anyone who missed that meeting because of the weather or other reasons. Authorities hope that people who missed the first viewing will show up and claim their property that was recovered by the Multi Agency Task Force. Some of the stolen items were taken as far back as 1997.

Detective William Flagg of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department said that all property recovered since Feb. 11 had been identified.

The viewing of the recovered items will be from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Bangor Tire Co. on Cumberland Street in Bangor.

The Multi Agency Task Force, comprising members of the Sheriff’s Department, Maine State Police, Old Town Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, was developed in light of a string of garage burglaries that stretched across a half-dozen county lines. Authorities have arrested three people who they said were part of two burglary rings suspected of stealing tens of thousands and maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of tools, ATVs, snowmobiles and equipment.

Burleigh Lancaster, 46, a Brunswick man police said was working on his own, has been charged in connection with some of the burglaries, while Steven Robichaud, 28, of Carmel and Francis Sprague Jr., 19, of Hudson have been charged in connection with others. Sprague and Robichaud were arrested Jan. 19 after they were caught in Old Town loading a riding lawn mower and other equipment into a pickup truck.

Victims with any questions about the viewing may contact Sgt. James Wooster at the Sheriff’s Department at 947-4585.