SULLIVAN – A 25-year-old Portland man was arrested Tuesday night for allegedly breaking into a local animal clinic and stealing various veterinary drugs, including ketamine and morphine.

Patrick S. Willigar faces one count of Class B burglary, which is a felony.

On Wednesday, he remained in custody at the Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth. Police said he failed to post bail, which has been set at $500 cash.

Maine State Police Trooper Cliff Peterson said a cleaning worker arrived at the Schoodic Animal Hospital on Route 1 at about 1:30 a.m. Monday and noticed that someone had broken into the facility and rummaged through the cabinets where veterinary drugs are stored.

Bottles of various animal medications were missing from a locked cabinet, which apparently had been pried open.

Ketamine is used by veterinarians as an anesthetic to sedate animals before surgery, but it also has become popular with recreational drug users for its hallucinogenic effects.

Police said a credit card left at the scene of the break-in led them to Willigar, who had been staying in the area with family members.

When officers arrived at the animal hospital, they found a credit card with Willigar’s name on it lying on the floor inside the rear of the clinic. It appeared he had used the credit card to unlock the back door and inadvertently left it behind, Peterson said.

Police located him Tuesday night at the home of a relative who lives in Franklin. They also found the drugs, some of which had been used, in a bag that he had with him, police said.

“It was quite a substantial amount. There were enough drugs to fill a duffel bag,” Peterson said.

This was not the first burglary at the Schoodic Animal Hospital. Ketamine and diazepam, a common muscle relaxant, were taken from the clinic in August 1998.

Eight months earlier, a group of Bangor-area teenagers broke into the facility, as well as other vet clinics in Blue Hill and Trenton, and stole drugs and cash. One of the teens led police on a high-speed car chase, which ended with the suicide of a 19-year-old passenger.

Willigar also has a criminal record. In May 1999, he pleaded guilty to burglary and theft charges for breaking into a seaweed vegetable plant in Franklin and other businesses in Hancock County.

He was ordered to serve 30 days in jail and was placed on probation for two years, but his probation was partially revoked in 2001 after new charges were filed against him. Records on file in Hancock County Superior Court show he was charged with breaking into two homes in Waterville on Nov. 30, 2000.

Peterson said damage at the Schoodic Animal Hospital was minimal and no animals were disturbed during the break-in.