An off-duty Bangor police dispatcher spotted a Ford Escort reported missing early Thursday, but after police traced its path to where it apparently struck another car, they brought charges against the Ford’s owner.

As a result, Michael Smith, 28, of Jonesboro received a summons at 7:30 a.m. alleging that he filed a false public report and left the scene of an accident.

According to the incident report by Officer Mark Hathaway, Smith reported that he had gone to a lounge at the Bangor International Airport and returned to the parking lot to discover that his 1981 Ford Escort was missing.

Dispatcher Mahon Wood, on his way home, spotted what appeared to be the missing car in bushes near People’s Heritage Bank on Union Street. Hathaway reported that its left front tire was missing, the amber lens on one of its turn-signal lamps was broken, and a fender was dented.

Wood and Hathaway traced its path, using damaged grass and wheel scrapes in the pavement of the mall parking lot as guides, to the Griffin Road side of the mall. There they encountered a Pontiac that had apparent new damage to the rear bumper. Nearby, according to the report, were a tire and lens pieces that matched the Ford.

When the pair returned to the Escort, according to Hathaway’s account, they saw that the car had been backed out of the bushes and encountered Smith, who said he was “preparing to call police.”

Smith reportedly gave the officer conflicting accounts of his whereabouts the previous evening and said that he learned of the car’s location from an aunt who had seen it and called him.

Hathaway, who reported smelling alcohol on Smith’s breath, administered a breath test that reportedly registered a .15 blood-alcohol content — above the legal intoxication threshold of .08 — seven hours after the time Smith told police he had stopped drinking. According to the report, Smith has two prior drunken-driving convictions and had his license suspended in 1989.

Smith is scheduled to appear Friday, Sept. 21, in 3rd District Court, Bangor. —

Bangor police have received three reports in recent days of apparently unrelated thefts whose combined losses surpass $4,500.

H.E. Sargent Inc., a Stillwater-based construction firm, told police that someone has stolen materials from its storage spot on Blake Place, off Market Street, according to the report filed by Officer Daniel Frazell.

Last week, 156 feet of PCV pipe valued at $1,482 was lost. This week, between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, someone took two yellow lights valued at $300 from a company truck.

Beal College officials reported that sometime within a 2 1/2-hour period Tuesday evening, a $1,500 personal computer was taken from the school’s computer laboratory, according to Officer Mark Hathaway’s written account.

The owner of T&A Market on Center Street reported that when he opened the store Wednesday, the cash register had been pried open and cash and merchandise totaling $1,276 had been taken.

Missing were 23 cartons of cigarettes, 30 lottery tickets, 111 videotapes and $235 in cash.

Bangor police charged Robert Allen, 37, a transient, with disorderly conduct at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday on Parker Street. He is scheduled to appear Friday, Sept. 7, in 3rd District Court, Bangor.

Bangor police arrested Gregory Gruszkacq, 37, Brewer, at 12:44 a.m.

Thursday on State Street and charged him with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of liquor.

Brewer police have charged the following:

Tracey Grindle, 26, 64 State St., Brewer, arrested at 2:21 a.m. Thursday on North Main Street and charged with assault.

Stephen Merritt, 27, 671 Main Road, Hampden, arrested at 5:30 a.m. at EconoLodge and charged with violating a protective order.