Houlton police charge two in store burglary

HOULTON – Two people have been hit with several charges stemming from a burglary at Ken’s Store on Court Street on Monday evening.

Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin said Tuesday that the business was burglarized just after 11:30 p.m., and the two suspects allegedly involved were arrested less than 20 minutes later.

According to the chief, the store’s alarm company called the department and reported that an alarm was going off at the store.

Houlton Officers Ezekiel Collins and Daniel Norton responded to the scene and found that someone had gained entry into the store through a window and made off with cigarettes and beer.

Asselin said that Norton heard some noise in the nearby woods and checked the surroundings with the department’s thermal imaging camera, while Collins headed back up Court Street to see if he could find the suspects.

A short time later, Maine State Police Trooper Jeff Clark and his tracking dog, Hanno, responded to the scene.

Collins eventually saw a young man, later identified as 18-year-old Dustin R. Haney of Houlton, headed down Court Street in the direction of the store. His pants and shoes were wet and he was sweating, which police determined likely resulted from his running through the brook behind the store.

The State Police dog led investigators to an area a short distance from the store, where they found 23-year-old Nicholas C. Lorom. They also found beer and a pack of cigarettes at the site.

Both men were arrested and charged with burglary, criminal mischief and theft.

Asselin credited all of the officers involved for their work.

“It was a good bit of police work on everyone involved,” he said. “Everyone did a great job.”