An area 17-year-old boy was arrested by Wiscasset Police officers on March 27, following an investigation.

The juvenile was arrested and charged with burglary of residence, a Class B crime; burglary of garage, a Class C crime, two counts; and theft by unauthorized taking or  transfer, a Class C crime.

The investigation began March 4 when School Resource Officer Perry Hatch spoke to a staff member at Wiscasset High School regarding a burglary that had occurred at her residence on Chewonki Neck Road.

The staff member explained that she had a male juvenile shoveling snow on her property who she suspected may have committed the crime. Nothing had ever been missing from her residence prior.

On March 10, Hatch was approached again by the same staff member. She indicated that some more items had come up missing from her garage. As a direct result of this complaint, Hatch requested the assistance of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s (LCSO) Criminal Investigation Division (CID). Surveillance equipment was set up in an attempt to catch the suspect in the residence or garage area.

LCSO CID equipment caught the male juvenile on video and still photographs in the garage of the residence. Both the video and still photos were given to Hatch and the male was positively identified as a 17-year-old male.

Hatch also located photographs of the stolen items on the Internet and showed them to the staff member. She positively identified the stolen items that were for sale by the same person.

On March 26, Hatch spoke to the juvenile’s mother and requested she and the juvenile respond to the police department for an interview. The mother refused to bring the juvenile to the police department, and said she was meeting with the juvenile’s Juvenile Community Corrections Officer (JCCO) shortly.

The juvenile in question is currently on probation for another burglary that Chief Troy Cline handled last year. Hatch contacted the JCCO responsible for the juvenile and informed him of the pending charges. On Friday, Hatch and Officer Alfred Simmons went to the juvenile’s residence and arrested him on the charges.

The JCCO placed a hold on the juvenile and he was transferred to Long Creek Youth Development Center by Simmons.