November 23, 2024
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New theft, burglary charges brought against Medway man

BANGOR – A Medway man on probation for a burglary conviction remained Tuesday in Penobscot County Jail on three new charges that include stealing firearms.

Lauren MacArthur, 20, could face additional charges in relation to a string of recent burglaries in the Katahdin region in which firearms were taken. He is charged with burglary, theft and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Bail on the new charges was set Tuesday at $10,000 cash or $35,000 surety, but he remained in jail for allegedly violating probation.

A probable case hearing was scheduled for Jan. 4 in 3rd District Court in Lincoln. If MacArthur is indicted by the Penobscot County grand jury before then, the hearing will not be held.

“As the investigation proceeds, we expect to add three or more burglaries and theft of firearms charges that include different homes in the East Millinocket-Medway area,” Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy said Tuesday.

MacArthur was arrested early on Monday when he drove into an Irving gas station in Medway. A Penobscot County sheriff’s deputy recognized him and knew that his driver’s license was suspended, according to court documents.

The Medway man’s previous convictions include burglary, theft, forgery, assault and operating after suspension. MacArthur was released from Penobscot County Jail in July after serving nine months on a conviction for a Lincoln burglary.

The new charges stem from a burglary at a Mattawamkeag residence reported on Nov. 15. Three guns, a .22-caliber Magnum pistol, a black powder pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun, along with about $90 in coins, were stolen, according to court documents.

MacArthur allegedly told police that he had traded the guns for drugs.

Officials are investigating MacArthur’s possible involvement in three similar incidents at homes in Medway and Molunkus, East Millinocket Police Chief Garold Cramp said Tuesday.

East Millinocket police expect to seek state grand jury indictments charging MacArthur in at least four burglaries that occurred in Medway over the last two weeks, Cramp said.

The state Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes members of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives also is beginning its investigation to recover the weapons, some of which still are missing, he said.

MacArthur could face charges in U.S. District Court in Bangor for violating federal gun laws.

“We have been investigating these really hard because we take home burglaries really seriously. We had a lot of hours put into this one,” Cramp said Tuesday.

The four Medway burglaries include the theft of two shotguns from a home on Wilderness Drive on Nov. 11, the theft of a 38-caliber handgun and $150 cash from a home on Route 157 on Nov. 12, and $150 cash taken from a Route 116 home on Nov. 15, Cramp said.

Police suspect that another handgun was stolen from a Church Street home, Cramp said, but may not be able to verify that burglary until the homeowner returns from a Florida vacation.

MacArthur was injured in a car accident in Medway in January in which he suffered head injuries and was charged with operating after suspension.


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