Two men accused of committing more than 20 burglaries and thefts made their initial appearance in Lincoln County Superior Court on June 30.
The codefendants – Nikolas Poland, 19, of Round Pond and Andy Longe, 19, of South Bristol – stood together as Justice Nancy Mills read all 61 charges against them. They are each charged with 21 counts of burglary, 22 counts of theft and 18 counts of criminal mischief, according to court documents.
The complaint names 23 separate victims in Bristol, Pemaquid, Bremen, Nobleboro and Damariscotta – including the Town of Bristol – most of whom the codefendants allegedly burglarized, stole from, and destroyed their property between March 1 and April 6 of this year.
The pair is expected to appear before the next available grand jury for possible indictment. Both are currently out on bail.
According to a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office press release issued at the time of their arrest April 13, the agency recovered several high-end televisions and stereo systems, as well as five outboard motors, power tools and other tools and electronics.
The press release alleged that the men also “admitted to stealing copper pipes from 15 residences,” two seasonal businesses (Duck Puddle and Pemaquid Lake campgrounds) and a town park.
The total value of the recovered items and the pipes is estimated to be in excess of $60,000.
Longe and Poland allegedly sold the pipes to One Steel Recycling in Augusta, LCSO Lt. Michael Murphy said at the time of their arrest. The business was “cooperative” during the investigation and did not break the law, he said.
According to the LCSO press release, Longe and Poland mainly worked at night, choosing targets “that were unoccupied or appeared to have been closed up for the winter.”
(J.W. Oliver contributed reporting to this article.)
