Wiscasset police report they have arrested an individual in relation to the investigation of burglaries of six area businesses during the overnight hours of July 31-Aug. 1.
Lt. John Allen confirmed that he arrested John Howard, 33, of Augusta earlier this afternoon in Augusta. Howard has been booked at the Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.
He is charged with six counts of burglary, aggravated criminal mischief and theft, all felony charges.
Howard’s arrest comes as Wiscasset police investigate a string of burglaries to Wiscasset businesses that apparently occurred during the overnight hours of July 31 – Aug. 1. Anyone with any information regarding these events is encouraged to call the Wiscasset Police Dept. at 882-8202.
A security camera in the Sea Basket Restaurant on Rt. 1 captured the image of an individual, allegedly Howard, in the building after closing.
According to Allen, police were notified of the break-ins around 5:45 a.m. Aug. 1 when a Sea Basket Restaurant employee noticed the business had been burglarized.
Shortly after responding to the initial call, Officer Adam Temple was notified of another burglary at Chewonki Campground, located off Rt. 1 on Chewonki Neck Road.
A short time later, the West Side Campground called and reported they were broken into. After this call, Huber’s Market on Rt. 1, literally just down the street from Sea Basket, reported an attempted break-in.
While Temple was investigating that burglary, he inquired at the restaurant next door, Ship’s Chow Hall. They also said they were broken into.
According to police, several thousand dollars were stolen from Sea Basket. Loose change was taken from Chewonki Campground and West Side Campground. Ship’s Chow Hall was vandalized and sustained severe damage. There was also liquor and small change stolen from Mark Antony’s Restaurant.
During the break-in at Sea Basket, a security camera captured digital images of a suspect. “You can even see that he is looking at the camera,” said Lt. Allen. “We believe that he saw this and then vandalized the computer by running it in the sink with water.”
The suspect was apparently unaware that the photos were being sent to the restaurant owner at his residence in New Hampshire, Allen said. According to Allen, it is possible events in Wiscasset may be related to a string of burglaries in Searsport, Stockton Springs, and Damariscotta.
Allen said it is currently unknown if more than one person is involved in the Wiscasset burglaries. It is also unknown in what order the burglaries occurred; whether the perpetrator(s) started on one side of town and worked systematically or if the victims were selected at random.
Allen described the break-ins as a “smash and grab” style. “There was nothing sophisticated,” he said.