AUGUSTA — A man accused of burglarizing the home of a Green Street resident last weekend and then trying to extort money from the homeowners now faces additional charges in connection with a break-in days earlier on the same street.
Jake Pilsbury, 20, a transient who had been staying in the Augusta area, appeared via video Friday in Augusta District Court on charges of burglary and theft. Judge Patrick Ende set bail at $50,000 cash or $100,000 worth of property.
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Pilsbury, formerly of Somerville, was already being held at the Kennebec County jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bail after appearing in court earlier this week on burglary and extortion charges in connection to a separate break-in.
Friday’s hearing was on charges that stem from an Oct. 26 burglary of a home at 54 Green St. The homeowner returned around 10 a.m. to find two people rifling through items in an upstairs bedroom.
Augusta Police Lt. Keith Brann said at the time that a male wearing jeans and what was believed to be a hooded sweatshirt and a female, who was not otherwise described, fled after noticing the homeowner in the house.
Brann said the pair escaped with a few unspecified items.
Pilsbury was arrested Monday after allegedly burglarizing a home at 81 Green St. on Oct. 30 and then trying to extort $2,000 cash from the victims.
An affidavit filed in Kennebec County Superior Court by Augusta Police Detective Christopher Blodgett said Pilsbury broke into the house sometime between 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., as one of the homeowners, a woman, was asleep in her bedroom. The woman was unaware the burglary occurred until her husband returned from work and found items on the floor.
The couple said items including a digital camera, a laptop computer and the woman’s car keys and several keys to rental property were stolen during the burglary.
Also stolen was the woman’s cellphone, which Pilsbury, who identified himself as Craig Jackson, used to call the victims around 4 a.m. Sunday, Blodgett said.
“Jackson told (the victim) that he knew who she was an had the keys to her house,” Blodgett said. “Jackson further told (the victim) that if she didn’t want any more trouble she had better get him $2,000. Jackson told (the victim) that if she got the money all of her belongings would be returned and this would all go away.”
The caller told the victim to go to an automated teller machine to get the money. He initially said she had two days to get the money, but later said she only had 10 minutes, Blodgett said.
“He told (the victim) that he was watching her house so if she called the police he would know and there would be trouble,” Blodgett said.
The caller reminded the victim that he had the keys to her house and “all kinds of personal information,” Blodgett said.
The suspect called back that afternoon and told the victim to put the money in a paper bag and place it in a Dumpster outside a Mount Vernon Avenue store.
“This time the male advised he had a rifle and would be watching them,” Blodgett said.
Police drove the victim to the store where she put the bag inside the Dumpster. Police kept vigil from a distance as a man, a store employee, twice took trash to the Dumpster and then checked a third time.
A short time later another man, later identified as Pilsbury, checked the Dumpster before walking toward the store, where he was met by the employee. The two men returned to the store, at which point Pilsbury was detained by police.
The employee told police that Pilsbury, who had been sleeping at his apartment, called him at work and asked him to check the Dumpster for a bag.
Police later searched the store employee’s apartment and found the victim’s cellphone, Blodgett said.
Craig Crosby–621-5642
ccrosby@centralmaine.com
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