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Log inThree arrested in dozens of home burglaries
Three arrested in dozens of home burglaries
by Outspoken on Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:34 am
Three arrested in dozens of home burglaries
Police recover a portion of the $65,000 worth of stolen goods, and plan to make more arrests.
By EDWARD D. MURPHY
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
ALFRED — Police have charged three people with participating in a burglary ring that broke into more than three dozen houses and stole about $65,000 worth of property, the York County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
Police said the three were either involved in, or bought stolen property from, about 40 home burglaries stretching from the town of Cumberland to York County.
About $15,000 worth of stolen merchandise – flat-screen televisions, electronics, jewelry and tools were among the items taken – has been recovered, said York County Sheriff Maurice Ouellette, who announced the arrests.
Roy Leet, 42, of Cape Elizabeth has been charged with burglary and violating probation; Heather Wehkoja, 30, of South Berwick has been charged with burglary and violating bail terms; and John Donovan, 41, of Portland has been charged with receiving stolen property.
Ouellette said the investigation is continuing, particularly focusing on operations in which stolen goods were sold. He said he expects additional charges and arrests.
"This is the first group (of arrests), and we're hoping there will be a second group," Ouellette said.
The burglaries were what police call "knock and talk," Ouellette said, meaning the burglars would drive down a road, note a name on a mailbox, then stop at another house and knock on the door. If someone answered, the burglars would say they were looking for someone – using the name from the mailbox – and be told that they were at the wrong house.
If no one answered, they would "go around back and kick a door in," Ouellette said.
He said the case began Oct. 9 on a tip from agents with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, who sometimes work on cases with deputies from his office. The deputies then spent a week on surveillance of the three suspects and arrested Wehkoja, with help from South Berwick police, on Oct. 24. They seized $1,000 worth of stolen property.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=222835&ac=PHnws
Police recover a portion of the $65,000 worth of stolen goods, and plan to make more arrests.
By EDWARD D. MURPHY
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
ALFRED — Police have charged three people with participating in a burglary ring that broke into more than three dozen houses and stole about $65,000 worth of property, the York County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
Police said the three were either involved in, or bought stolen property from, about 40 home burglaries stretching from the town of Cumberland to York County.
About $15,000 worth of stolen merchandise – flat-screen televisions, electronics, jewelry and tools were among the items taken – has been recovered, said York County Sheriff Maurice Ouellette, who announced the arrests.
Roy Leet, 42, of Cape Elizabeth has been charged with burglary and violating probation; Heather Wehkoja, 30, of South Berwick has been charged with burglary and violating bail terms; and John Donovan, 41, of Portland has been charged with receiving stolen property.
Ouellette said the investigation is continuing, particularly focusing on operations in which stolen goods were sold. He said he expects additional charges and arrests.
"This is the first group (of arrests), and we're hoping there will be a second group," Ouellette said.
The burglaries were what police call "knock and talk," Ouellette said, meaning the burglars would drive down a road, note a name on a mailbox, then stop at another house and knock on the door. If someone answered, the burglars would say they were looking for someone – using the name from the mailbox – and be told that they were at the wrong house.
If no one answered, they would "go around back and kick a door in," Ouellette said.
He said the case began Oct. 9 on a tip from agents with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, who sometimes work on cases with deputies from his office. The deputies then spent a week on surveillance of the three suspects and arrested Wehkoja, with help from South Berwick police, on Oct. 24. They seized $1,000 worth of stolen property.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=222835&ac=PHnws
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
