November 08, 2024
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4 accused of burglarizing Bradford store twice

BRADFORD – Three men and a teenager were arrested early Thursday morning after they broke into a convenience store for the second time in two hours, stealing thousands of dollars in cigarettes and other items, according to authorities.

Charles Michaud Jr., 19, of Stetson, Michael Thompson, 18, of Corinna, Dylan Hadley, 19, of Corinth and a 15-year-old Bradford youth were arrested Thursday morning when a state police tracking dog led investigators to the East Road home where they had been staying.

All four were charged with burglary, although more charges are expected from this incident, Penobscot County Sheriff’s Deputy Jared Austin said Thursday. The group has also been connected to the theft Wednesday night of a car.

Michaud and Thompson remained at Penobscot County Jail Thursday night, while Hadley had been released earlier. The youth was taken to the Mountainview Youth Development Center in Charleston.

Austin said the group broke into the Bradford General Store on Route 221 at about 2:10 a.m., taking alcohol, cigarettes, food and other items without setting off the alarm.

“They went straight for the cartons of cigarettes and the alcohol,” Austin said.

After one successful break-in, they returned at about 4:20 a.m. to take more items. But this time, the alarm went off, Austin said. The deputy estimated that the four took a total of $2,000 to $4,000 in cigarettes alone. Not all that was stolen had been recovered, Austin said Thursday night.

Detective Bill Flagg of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office and Trooper Marc Poulin searched the store for evidence and reviewed tapes that showed the burglars wearing the same clothing investigators would later find inside the home, Austin said.

But the big break came when Trooper Seth Edwards and his dog Boris tracked scents to the East Road.

“That really gave us what we needed,” Austin said.

The owner of the house – the teenager’s mother, who is not believed to be involved – let investigators search the home and the clothing was recovered. The four were found sleeping inside and Detective John Trask, Austin and Sgt. Bill Birch, of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, interviewed them separately.

Austin said they confessed to the burglary and also to the theft of a Chevrolet Beretta stolen from Corinna. The stolen car was recovered a few miles from the home.

The incident is still under investigation and Austin said that anyone with information can contact authorities at 947-4585.


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