MILLINOCKET – Two town men suspected of breaking into as many as 10 vehicles since mid-October were being held Monday in a county jail after being charged with stealing a rifle from a pickup truck on Prospect Street.

The brothers, Matthew and Joshua Jones, were charged on Saturday afternoon with one count each of theft of a firearm. Matthew Jones, 18, was being held Monday at Penobscot County Jail in Bangor on $10,000 bail. Joshua Jones, 20, was being held on $5,000 bail. Both are due in court on Jan. 19.

Police charged the two with stealing a Model 270 Savage bolt-action hunting rifle with scope and sling sometime during the night Nov. 23. The owner of the vehicle reported the theft on Wednesday morning as he was about to go hunting, Acting Sergeant Jerry Cox said.

Matthew Jones was charged with an additional count of theft of a firearm after he allegedly confessed to stealing a 41-caliber revolver from a pickup truck in front of a Pamola Park residence on Nov. 7, Cox said.

The stolen weapons have been returned to their owners, Cox said. Matthew Jones on Saturday took Cox to the revolver, which had been stashed in woods off a dirt road in the area of Rice Farm Road, and the owner of the rifle told police he found it on Saturday in woods near his home.

The two men allegedly confessed to the thefts, though police are unsure of their motive or what eventually might have been done with the stolen weapons, Cox said.

Police also have statements from three witnesses alleging that the brothers bragged about the weapons thefts during a Friday night visit to an Aroostook Avenue apartment.

Similarities in methods used have led police to name the Joneses as suspects in as many as 10 other car burglaries in which weapons, cellular telephones, compact discs, credit cards and compact disc players were stolen, Cox said.

No charges have been filed in connection with the other vehicle break-ins.

The thefts have been occurring since mid-October, Cox said. Police have found one credit card stolen from a Prospect Street break-in. In all of the burglaries, items were stolen from unlocked vehicles, usually pickup trucks and cars, Cox said.

“I think the biggest reason this is happening is that the majority of the population is unaware or naive to the fact that these type of crimes are happening here,” Cox said. “This is a community where years ago you could leave your house or car unlocked for days without anything being touched. Those days have come and gone.”

It could have been disastrous had the stolen weapons been used later in a violent crime or if someone had been accidentally shot after finding them, Police Chief Donald Bolduc said.

“People need to be responsible. We have a responsibility not to become victims,” Bolduc said. “We have to do the basic things to prevent these kinds of thefts, such as locking our vehicles and homes.”

The .41-caliber revolver had five rounds chambered. The rifle had several rounds in its carrying case, Cox said.

Police are concerned that other weapons might be stashed in remote areas and ask anyone who finds a weapon or who has information about vehicle break-ins to telephone them at 723-9731 or (800) 432-7911.

Bolduc said he was pleased at the teamwork displayed by Cox, Officers Ron McCarthy, Charles James and Kevin Giberson, and Sgt. Aaron Brooker, who are continuing their investigation.