Houlton police seek to solve mystery of unregistered ATVs

HOULTON – Police are trying to solve a mystery that unfolded early Thursday morning and that left them in possession of two ATVs.

The investigation into who was operating the ATVs and what exactly they were doing in the craggy wooded area on Bangor Road is continuing, police said Friday.

Shortly after 12:45 a.m., Houlton police Officer Troy Fitzpatrick stopped on the road near Greg’s Store to investigate an abandoned vehicle and quickly was drawn into a different inquiry, Detective Staff Sgt. James Skehan said Friday.

“Officer Fitzpatrick heard some people hollering in the woods across the road and he went to investigate,” Skehan explained.

The hilly area is thick with trees and brush and is supported by a column of jagged rocks that has long been a canvas for local graffiti artists. Skehan said that when Fitzpatrick came upon the scene, he found two ATVs and numerous cans of beer, but no one was around.

“One of the ATVs was registered, but it had expired in 2002,” Skehan explained. “The other vehicle was not [registered], and both vehicles were towed to a nearby station.”

The owner of the registered ATV is dead, Skehan said Friday, and police are not sure who now owns the vehicle.

Since the other ATV has no registration, police are not sure at this point who owns it or how it plays into the story.

Houlton firefighter Steve DeWitt used an ATV from the department’s off-road rescue unit to check the wooded surroundings for the individuals or other clues to the puzzle.

Nothing was found, according to Skehan.

“The investigation is continuing,” Skehan said Friday. “The ATVs are in our custody.”

Cpl. Dana Duff also assisted in the investigation.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the Houlton Police Department at 532-2287.