Several blocks of cottages on Damariscotta Lake in Jefferson have been hit by a rash of break-ins this winter. There have been 13 break-ins since October, said Ron Jones, the owner of Bunker Hill Property Management.
Jones manages almost 100 properties in the area, and said this is the worst year he’s seen in the 40 years he’s lived there. All but one of the break-ins Jones is aware of are in properties he manages.
The 13 cottages that Jones is aware of are all off Bunker Hill Road, including Hemlock Park, Gates Road and Pinewood Cove Road. There were six break-ins in Hemlock Park, said Bill Judd, who owns a cottage in the area.
One cottage on Gates Road was broken into twice. The first time they took several bottles of liquor and the second time they took a flat-screen television, Jones said.
The break-ins have led to the theft of televisions, and damage to glass doors and windows, Jones said. The thieves have not been vandalizing the homes except to force entry, and have, in some cases, left jars of money untouched, Jones said.
“They dumped bureau drawers out on the beds, but they weren’t after money,” Jones said. “There were jugs of money sitting right there.”
The perpetrators approached the cottage, in at least one case, from the road, Jones said. He saw several sets of footprints leading from the cottage out to the road, so it seems likely the perpetrators are using a motor vehicle, as opposed to a snow mobile or other off-road vehicle, Jones said.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department has investigated some of break-ins, Jones said. LCSO officials could not be reached for comment, despite repeated attempts, by press time.
The worst part is the loss of sense of security, Judd said.
“Material things – those can be replaced,” Judd said. “There’s a sense of being violated. It’s just not the way we want life to be up here.”
