MILLINOCKET – A local man was accused late Thursday of knocking over an exterior chimney attached to a Cherry Street apartment building earlier that day.

Harold Beesley, 20, was charged with criminal mischief at around 11 p.m., Sgt. Kevin Giberson said.

The charge could be increased to aggravated criminal mischief or otherwise added to if the homeowner or landlord finds that repair work exceeds $2,000, Giberson said. Damage estimates are pending.

According to Giberson, Beesley admitted to the crime, claiming it was accidental. Beesley didn’t use any tools to push over the chimney, which had been recently repaired.

“He just pushed it over,” Giberson said Friday. “It was in use, although it was pretty fortunate that the boiler [the chimney vented] wasn’t turned on because we’ve had a lot of warm weather lately. If it had been on, the building might have caught fire.”

Beesley was issued a summons and is due to appear in District Court in Millinocket on Nov. 7, Giberson said.

The incident was the beginning of a fairly busy day for Millinocket police. They also investigated a reported burglary at an abandoned or closed building on Bates Street, former home of the Moose Shed eatery, Giberson said.

The reported burglary was actually teens or children getting into the building, he said. It was reported at about 9:20 a.m. Friday. No arrests were made.

A town woman also suffered minor injuries when her car was rear-ended.