A Readfield man has been charged in connection with dozens of burglaries throughout central Maine.
Scott Struck, 31, has been charged with 20 counts each of burglary, theft and criminal mischief in connection with burglaries in Kennebec, Androscoggin and Franklin counties, said Kennebec County Interim Sheriff Ryan Reardon.
Additional charges against Struck and others are possible when the investigation is complete, Reardon said.
“Scott will be entering not guilty pleas,” said his attorney, Walter McKee. “There are mountains of reports to sift through before any decisions are made beyond that.”
The burglaries all occurred between July and October in Belgrade, Mount Vernon, Readfield, Wayne and Winthrop in Kennebec County, Reardon said. Struck also has been charged in connection with burglaries in the Androscoggin County community of Leeds and the Franklin County town of Chesterville. Most of the burglaries were at seasonal properties.
Reardon said investigators recovered many of the stolen items.
“These are big-ticket summer recreation items, like boat motors,” Reardon said.
Struck has a criminal history dating back to 2011.
“He was not an unknown name,” Reardon said. “Law enforcement has had contact with him in the past for other things.”
Reardon said the burglaries “punctuate the relationship between property crimes and the opiate epidemic.”
“Mr. Struck was supporting his opiate habit,” Reardon said.
Kennebec County investigators worked with counterparts in the Maine State Police and Maine Warden Service as well as Winthrop Police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Reardon called the multi-agency approach the future of law enforcement. Reardon lauded the successful completion of recent cooperative investigations, including the arrest earlier this month of seven people charged with trafficking in heroin.
“It’s been great as of late that agencies are working on these large cases together,” Reardon said. “It’s proven fruitful.”
Craig Crosby — 621-5642
Twitter: @CraigCrosby4
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