When young Jarrett Pinkham rode his bicycle down to the shoreline of the Sheepscot River, on Westport Island, Saturday morning, Aug. 24, he didn’t know he was about to find a safe that had been stolen from Bristol’s historical Colonial Pemaquid site on Aug. 17 or 18.
What he did after finding the safe has brought him praise from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and Colonial Pemaquid, owned and managed by the state’s division of Parks and Public Lands, which is part of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
Jarrett, 10, is the son of Alice Cromwell, of Westport Island, and Andrew Pinkham of Bath. He is a fourth grader at the Fisher-Mitchel School in Bath. Jarrett spends his summers and weekend on Westport Island with his mother. Through the week he is with his dad in Bath.
According to Jarrett’s mother, Alice Cromwell, when he comes to Westport Island, he loves to ride his bike down to the shoreline, so the morning of August 24, it was no surprise to her, Jarrett wanted to ride down to the shore, which is on the Cromwell property, within sight distance of his home. After being gone for just a few minutes he came running into the house saying there was a safe in about two feet of water in the cove.
Cromwell said she didn’t quite believe Jarrett at first but, when the tide went out, Jarrett went back to the shoreline, climbed over some rocks, and pulled the safe out of the water. He tried to roll it up a steep hill to his house, but couldn’t make it. A relative that also lives on the property saw Jarrett struggling with the safe and came to help him. They put the safe on the back of a truck, and took it to Jarrett’s mother.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Cromwell said. They opened the safe to find empty money bags, some old coins, one of which is very rare, 2014 state park tickets, and some bank records. They immediately called the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to report their findings.
LCSO Detective Scot Hayden came to the Cromwell property, commended Jarrett for his discovery, and for helping the Sheriff’s Office in their investigation of the burglary in Bristol. The safe was taken to the evidence locker at the Sheriff’s Department.
During a telephone interview this week, Hayden was asked if he believes the safe floated from Bristol to Westport Island. Hayden said the safe did float, but he doubts it floated from Bristol. “It is hard to say where it was put in the water,” he said.
Apparently when the tide came in at the shoreline on Westport Island, the safe floated into the cove, and got stuck between some rocks. When the tide went out, the safe was visible.
Hayden said the burglary is still an open investigation, and declined to discuss the details of the investigation.
John Bott, Communications Director for the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry said Monday morning, “We commend the Jarrett for bringing it to our attention. He did the right thing and is an inspiration to others.”