Waldoboro man was arrested Nov. 17 after local law enforcement agencies seized guns, heroin, and $250,000 in stolen gold coins from his home during searches Nov. 17 and 21.
Kevin S. King, 53, also faces charges in connection with the discovery of an assault rifle and several other firearms – King is a felon – and 4 grams of heroin during a search Nov. 17.
At the time of his arrest in Maine, King was out on bail in a Florida case involving the heist of hundreds of thousands of dollars of gold from an 83-year-old coin collector.
The Waldoboro Police Department, with assistance from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, arrested King the afternoon of Nov. 17.
King was charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, theft by receiving stolen property, and unlawful possession of a scheduled drug, according to the Waldoboro Police Department.
King’s Nov. 17 arrest was the result of an investigation sparked by two earlier incidents involving erratic behavior by King in the lobby of a Waldoboro doctor’s office, according to the department.
According to a press release from the department, King has an extensive criminal history extending back to 1980, which includes numerous felony drug, weapons, alcohol, and traffic-related incidents.
At the time of his Nov. 17 arrest, King was free after posting a $30,000 bond in Jupiter, Fla., following his arrest for grand theft and money laundering in excess of $100,000, according to the press release.
According to an article by The Palm Beach Post, of West Palm Beach, Fla., King allegedly stole 490 South African Krugerrand gold coins worth $633,000 Sept. 26, 2014.
At the time, King owned National Numismatic and Precious Metals, a coin shop in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Jerome Price, 83, of North Palm Beach, Fla., had set up a meeting with King to sell his collection of Krugerrands, which had taken him 75 years to accumulate, according to The Palm Beach Post. Price had sold King 15 coins the previous year, and King said he had found a buyer for the rest of the collection.
The Palm Beach Post reported that the two men sat in Price’s car to discuss the sale before going inside a local deli for a drink at King’s suggestion. The briefcase containing the coins was left in the car, and King allegedly left his door ajar.
Price wanted to sit at a table facing the parking area, however, King directed him to a booth away from the window, according to The Palm Beach Post, which cites a probable-cause affidavit by Jupiter police. While inside the deli, King stepped away from the table to use the restroom, and texted another man while out of sight.
According to The Palm Beach Post, King’s cellphone records revealed that he texted a man three times with a message that read “Do it now.” When Price returned to his vehicle after the two men failed to come to an agreement on the sale, the briefcase containing the coins was gone.
“He was a thief, that’s all,” Price told The Palm Beach Post. “He deserves to get where he’s going.”
The police spoke to the man King texted. The man, who has not been charged, said King had asked him to pick up a briefcase he had left in a friend’s car, according to The Palm Beach Post. He said he did not know the coins were inside the briefcase.
The Sun Sentinel, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., reported police subpoenaed King’s financial records, which show he sold 254 of the Krugerrands for $700,000 from Sept. 29, 2014 until June 22, 2015.
King was arrested July 28. Later the same day, King was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on a $30,000 bond.
On Nov. 17, law enforcement executed a search warrant at King’s residence at 580 Bremen Rd. (Route 32). According to Waldoboro tax records, King owns the 9.45-acre property. King’s residence is not visible from the road, and is only accessible by a dirt path.
According to a press release from the Waldoboro Police Department, police seized two handguns, a shotgun, and an AR-15 assault rifle, as well as a large cache of ammunition, approximately 4 grams of heroin, prescription drugs, a digital scale, and other drug paraphernalia during the search.
Police also seized five of the missing gold coins.
King was transported to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset, where bail was initially set at $25,000 cash. Following his Nov. 17 arrest, the state of Florida revoked King’s bond due to his alleged new criminal conduct.
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, King was arrested Nov. 20 at Two Bridges Regional Jail on a fugitive from justice charge. According to jail personnel, he is being held without bail. He is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 11, 2016.
Waldoboro attorney Philip Cohen is representing King. Cohen said it is currently unknown how King will be tried for both the Maine and Florida charges.
“I think that is something the states need to deal with,” Cohen said. “He’s currently being held on a Florida warrant, but if and when their police will come to get him remains to be seen.”
Cohen also said the state has provided “virtually no information or discovery” about the basis of the charges against King, making it difficult to comment on the case.
Following up on information gathered during the Nov. 17 search, Waldoboro police obtained a second search warrant for King’s residence Nov. 20 and searched the residence Nov. 21, assisted by a Maine State Police K-9 Unit.
During the second search, officers allegedly located two additional firearms; approximately 150 to 200 of the African Krugerrand gold coins, valued at approximately $200,000; and a sealed box containing five 100-ounce silver bars valued at approximately $10,000, all hidden under the false floor in the basement.
The Jupiter Police Department is currently making arrangements to retrieve the gold and silver.
The Waldoboro Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Jupiter Police Department, and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are continuing to investigate.
The Waldoboro Police Department urges anyone with any information about the investigation to contact Waldoboro Police Officer Larry Hesseltine or Waldoboro Police Chief Bill Labombarde at 832-4500 or 832-5369.
