Teen arrested and charged with six felonies

By Bill Pearson
Staff Writer

    SANGERVILLE — An alleged crime spree on April 26 led to a manhunt for a Sangerville teen and his capture later that morning. The 17-year-old suspect was charged with six felonies and taken to the Mountain View Youth Development Center in Charleston.

    The youth was charged with three counts of motor vehicle theft, stealing and possessing a hand gun and causing personal property damage. The teen had previously been in trouble with the law which precluded him from possessing a fire arm, according to Piscataquis Sheriff Department Chief Deputy Robert Young.
    The teen allegedly began his crime spree by stealing a Mazda parked in Sangerville village’s downtown and proceeded to the East Sangerville Road. Piscataquis Sheriff department officials report the suspect ditched the car and stole a Ford F-150 pick-up truck.
    The suspect allegedly drove the stolen truck to the Silver Mills Road in Dexter. The suspect allegedly stole his third vehicle — a Ford Ranger — from a Silver Mills Road home. The suspect allegedly drove the truck down the road before crashing it into a tree.
    Silver Mills Road residents reported seeing a young male flee the truck with a gun. The suspect allegedly  totaled the Ford Ranger and took the handgun located inside the vehicle.  The crash resulted in the truck being totaled. The other vehicles reportedly also had significant damage.
    Police report that the suspect smashed into several mailboxes and tore up farmland and lawns with the stolen vehicles. The damage to the vehicles, mailboxes and land is estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars, according to PCSD investigator Guy Dow.
    When the suspect was apprehended shortly after 8:30 a.m., he did not appear to be under the influence of drug or alcohol, according to Young. The suspect was found hiding behind a nearby building without incident. The police aren’t sure what prompted the teenager’s alleged criminal actions.
    “We are not sure why he did it. I guess he was looking for something to do,” Young said.
    The manhunt resulted in SAD 46 schools going into a “soft lockdown.” The district’s three schools — Ridge View Community, Dexter Regional High and Tri-County Technical Center — are all locked during the day. But the manhunt resulted in school officials keeping students inside while the suspect was at-large.
    Law enforcement officials directed Foxcroft Academy not to send their TCTC  students to Dexter on Route 7. Foxcroft officials sent their students to Dexter via Route 23. The manhunt caused SAD 41 officials not to send their students to the technical center at all.
    The PCSD was assisted in the manhunt by the Dexter and Dover-Foxcroft police departments, state police and the warden’s service.