Maine State Police arrested two Biddeford men and are seeking a third man in connection to more than 25 burglaries at businesses this year, including in the midcoast.
Michael Warner, 37, and Taylor Shultz, 34, were arrested Friday at a Granite Street apartment by a state police task force working with local, county and federal agencies. The two men have been charged with possession of stolen property, but they are expected to be charged with multiple burglaries, according to Maine Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.
A third suspect, wanted on the same charges, has not been located.
Multiple search warrants were conducted Friday, and as a result stolen property and drugs were recovered and more than 80 items of evidence were seized. The total value of the items stolen and the damage to the businesses exceeds $200,000.
Biddeford Police Department were instrumental in the investigation although none of the burglaries occurred in Biddeford.
The task force brought together all the police agencies investigating the burglaries, which resulted in Friday’s arrests with the case coordinated through the Cumberland County district attorney’s office, McCausland said.
The two men under arrest will likely make their first court appearance in Portland on Monday or Tuesday.
Most of the burglaries were similar in nature, leading police to suspect they are related.
The break-ins included one on Sept. 2 at J.C. Penney in Rockland. At that time, Rockland police and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said the same group that was suspected of the J.C.Penney burglary also was suspected in an Aug. 30 burglary at Flagship Cinemas in Thomaston and an Aug. 23 break-in at Townline Market on Route 1 in Warren.
There was also a June 22 burglary at Wentworth Family Store in Northport.
A May 23 break-in at the Lincoln Country Store in Warren is also believed connected to the string of crimes, Knox County Chief Deputy Tim Carroll said Saturday. In that break-in, the perpetrators disarmed the alarm system and broke into a safe.
The Aug. 25 break-in at Yellowfront Grocery in Damariscotta is also believed to be linked to the burglaries. The burglars attempted to disable the security system by cutting the phone lines, however a backup alarm system was in place and alerted the Damariscotta Police Department.
