FAIRFIELD — Police are closing in on charging suspects in a string of car burglaries last year, while at the same time dealine with a new spate over the last 10 days.
There have been reports of about 16 car burglaries since Aug. 19 on downtown streets, according to Chief Tom Gould. Most are happening late at night and the burglars seem to be targeting unlocked vehicles, he said. Burglaries occurred on Kelley, High, Main, Savage and West streets.
He said his department just received results from DNA testing of evidence from last summer’s approximately 40 car burglaries, meanwhile, and may bring charges within the next two weeks, Gould said.
The recent burglaries also seem to be progressing in seriousness, Gould said, and the windows of some cars were broken.
He said a burglary spree like the recent one isn’t uncommon. It’s the second or third string of car burglaries he’s seen in Fairfield since he became police chief three years ago, including last summer’s.
There were a large number of car burglaries last summer in both Fairfield and Skowhegan, stretching from June to August. The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office worked with Fairfield and Skowhegan police to investigate the dozens of burglaries that affected the areas of Bigelow Hill Road, Six Rod Road and Center Road. Police believed the burglaries were related.
One string of burglaries last summer involved seven cars in June that were all unlocked and burglarized in the early morning hours of June 17.
Police are reviewing video footage to narrow down the list of suspects in the recent burglaries. Gould said residents and businesses with exterior surveillance cameras should check their footage and call Officer Shanna Blodgett at the Police Department at 453-9322 if they see anything suspicious.
Gould also encouraged people whose cars have been burglarized but have not yet notified the police to do so.
He said people should be careful to secure their cars and should report any suspicious activity to the police.
Madeline St. Amour – 861-9239
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @madelinestamour
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