Alleged copper thief caught in Old Town

OLD TOWN - 19-year-old John Taylor of Milford was arrested for burglary and theft after breaking into a vacant home in Old Town Saturday and cutting all the copper wiring out of that home's basement.

Police say just before noon a man in the area noticed a trio of men loading stuff into the back of a pickup truck at a Lincoln Street home. As he approached them to ask what they were doing, they drove off, but not before the curious neighbor was able to get a good description and plate number of the vehicle. One of the Old Town officers then drove to the area where the truck was last seen and found a vehicle matching the exact description. When the officer pulled the driver over, the passengers inside the pickup were completely unaware the copper they helped load up was stolen. As a result, Taylor was the only one arrested and charged in the incident.

What's the hurry?

LAMOINE - A man from Lamoine is in trouble with police after he was observed traveling 111 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone.

Authorities say it was around 7:10 a.m. Friday morning when the motorcyclist was spotted screaming down Route 204 in Lamoine. At first the motorcyclist refused to stop after being signaled to do so by a Hancock County Sheriff's deputy. But the motorcycle and the driver, 29-year-old Mark Condon of Lamoine, eventually came to a stop on the Buttermilk Road. That's when Condon was arrested and charged with eluding an officer and exceeding the speed limit by 30 mph or more.

Stolen bow leads to summons in Old Town

OLD TOWN - Last Thursday a man walked into the Old Town Archery Center and Sports Shop trying to sell a bow he supposedly purchased on eBay. But unbeknownst to him, the shop's owner had been contacted by authorities to keep an eye out for a bow that had been reported stolen from a home on Stillwater Ave. back in November. The shop owner immediately contacted Old Town police, who showed up at the shop and began questioning the man. Twenty-nine-year-old Dominador Caparaz of Indian Island told authorities he bought the bow on eBay but couldn't remember who he got it from. Not buying his explanation, police summoned Caparaz for receiving stolen property.

Old Town's only K-9 retiring next month

OLD TOWN - Old Town’s only police K-9, Pumba, will retire on July 1 after five years of service. Pumba has been a certified police K-9 since 2003 and began his career at the Old Town police department in 2007, along with his handler, Officer Jim Fearon.

This Belgian Malinois is certified in narcotics detection and tracking/article search. During his time on the force, he was deployed for service or training 421 times and also assisted on calls to more than a dozen other agencies. Some of his more notable cases include tracking a burglary suspect from the Irving Mainway, a search during a traffic stop that resulted in solving several car and home burglaries and the tracking of suspects involved in the shooting of a vehicle in a local sand pit.

Pumba is retiring a bit earlier than expected due to budget tightening.