A Madison man who was arrested in December is facing additional charges of burglary and theft after police recovered several items stolen from homes in Starks at a home in Norridgewock, according to the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.

Michael A. Nichols Jr., 27, of Madison, is charged with five burglaries, three Class B and two Class C; and seven counts of theft, three Class D and four Class E, Somerset Co. Sheriff Dale Lancaster said in a press release Tuesday.

Nichols was first arrested Dec.19 after he was allegedly caught burglarizing a neighbor’s garage on Redneck Road in Starks. The residents of the home confronted him at the scene and convinced him to give back their property before he fled in a blue Chevrolet Cobalt, police said.

They then called the police and the sheriff’s office was able to track Nichols down in the Cobalt. He admitted to the burglary, police said.

Over the last three months, police have continued to probe the case and worked with the Somerset County district attorney’s office to bring up additional charges. The case is related to a drug search warrant that was executed at a residence on Madison Road in Norridgewock on Dec.31 and resulted in the arrest of a Norridgewock man on charges of class A aggravated trafficking in a schedule W drug, heroin; class B trafficking in a schedule W drug, heroin; and class C possession of a schedule W drug, heroin, Lancaster said in an interview.

During the search of the house police recovered property that had been taken from Starks’ residents. The release stated that Nichols admitted to burglaries on Peterson Road in Starks, where vehicle batteries, two televisions, fishing equipment, and kayaks were stolen; two burglaries on Dill Road, where boat motors, power and hand tools, and household items were stolen; a theft on Dill Road, where tractor trailer batteries, along with several cans of gas were taken; a theft on Locke Hill Road, where a chainsaw and firearm was stolen; and a burglary on Mayhew Road, where clothing, electronics, power tools and other household goods were stolen.

Nichols had his first court appearance March16 and was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond through the Somerset County Jail’s pre-trial program, the release said. He is next scheduled to appear in court April 27.

No additional charges are expected in his case, Lancaster said.

“I want to thank the individuals in Starks who were good neighbors,” Lancaster said in the release. “Law enforcement can only be successful with the help of the community. Their vigilance and attention to detail was instrumental to the success and clearance of these cases. This is a reminder, please call the Somerset County communications center when you observe something that looks suspicious; we will investigate.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.