A trailer contains cases of Milwaukee tools and other brand-name power tools seized Monday, Aug. 22 in the course of an investigation into the disappearance of thousands of dollars of inventory from Damariscotta Hardware and Randolph Hardware. (J.W. Oliver photo)
Albert W. Lawrence
The Damariscotta Police Department and Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office have seized thousands of dollars of merchandise missing from Damariscotta Hardware and Randolph Hardware at the home of a former employee.
Albert W. Lawrence, 31, of Randolph, faces a single count of class B theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, a felony. More charges are likely, according to both agencies.
Lawrence was an employee of Damariscotta Hardware from 2010 until March of this year, according to Damariscotta police. He worked in management at Damariscotta Hardware and Randolph Hardware, a sister store that opened in June 2015, and had access to the buildings after hours. He now works for Bath Iron Works.
Damariscotta Hardware contacted police in March to report a possible theft, according to Damariscotta Officer Erick Halpin. During the next several months, the store reviewed its records. Last month, the store provided police with a long list of missing items.
Many of the missing items were high-end power tools of three brands: Do it Best, Milwaukee, and Stihl. Damariscotta Police Chief Ron Young estimated the value of the items on the list at more than $20,000.
Officer Jim Dotson (left) and Parking Enforcement Officer Westleigh Munroe, of the Damariscotta Police Department, remove a Channellock tool case from a trailer Monday, Aug. 22. The Damariscotta Police Department and the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office filled the trailer and two pickup trucks with items seized from a Randolph home in a theft investigation. (J.W. Oliver photo)
The morning of Monday, Aug. 22, seven officers from the Damariscotta and Kennebec County agencies executed a search warrant at Lawrence’s Randolph home. The officers found many of the missing items – and many similar items – in a locked two-car garage.
For more than four hours, the officers inventoried and seized the items, according to Damariscotta police. The merchandise filled two pickup trucks and a roughly 20-foot trailer.
Kennebec County Sheriff Ryan Reardon said one of his investigators estimated the total value of the items at $50,000-$60,000. He said investigators found “a lot more” than they anticipated.
Lawrence was arrested and taken to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. He was released the same day on $20,000 unsecured bail. His bail conditions prohibit his return to either of the stores.
Lawrence “had full access to the stores. He had the ability to return items and remove items from the inventory,” Young said. “He was a trusted employee for a long time.”
Police do not think Lawrence was selling the merchandise and do not think anyone else was involved, according to Damariscotta police, although the investigation is ongoing in both Damariscotta and Kennebec County.
Neither Damariscotta nor Kennebec County are sure of a motive for the alleged crimes. “We’re looking for the reasoning behind some of it,” Reardon said.
Lawrence has not been charged in Kennebec County, but will be after a review of records to match the seized merchandise with items from the stores. “It’s going to take further investigation to track a lot of this stuff down,” Reardon said.
Damariscotta Officers Halpin, Jim Dotson, and Tyson Fait, along with Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office Detectives Mike Bickford and John Bourque, Sgt. Scott Mills, and Deputy Matthew Cain executed the search warrant.
Reardon said the case “demonstrates the importance of interagency collaboration.”
Years ago, a similar case might have gone unsolved because agencies didn’t work together, he said. In recent years, agencies have seen the value of collaboration.
Kennebec County worked with Damariscotta to provide support in its jurisdiction and the joint investigation resulted in the recovery of “a significant amount of property,” Reardon said.
