JAY — Police on Monday credited tips from community members with helping them arrest the two men accused of trying to break into a Farmington mobile home last month.

On Friday, an informant’s tip led police to Matthew Lancaster, who is one of two men who face attempted burglary charges tied to the incident, said Farmington police officer Darin Gilbert.
Lancaster, 20, of Jay, was arrested Friday night and taken to Franklin County Detention Center in Farmington. Earlier this month, police arrested Miguel Cedeno, 21, of Livermore Falls, after an anonymous tip helped them find him at a Jay residence, Gilbert said.

Cedeno is accused of breaking a window with a shotgun in the failed attempt to break into the Lamkin Lane mobile home on Feb. 14. A couple was home during the burglary and told police they scared off the two men trying to get inside the mobile home early that morning.

Gilbert said the tips were integral to catching the men and that the two would probably be out on the streets without the community’s help. He would not identify the people who gave tips, calling them confidential sources who also helped police find the shotgun used to break the window.

In a news release about their investigation, Farmington police said they believe Cedeno cut himself and left behind a substantial amount of blood when he broke the mobile home’s window, before driving off with another man.

Later that morning, Cedeno sought medical treatment at Franklin Memorial Hospital, where he volunteered a DNA sample to police who matched it to one from the crime scene, according to the release.

Lancaster appeared in Farmington District Court on Monday afternoon, where his bail was set at $3,000 cash or $30,000 surety. He was being held at Franklin County Detention Center in Farmington, with his next court date set for April 13.

Cedeno is being held at the detention center on $1,000 cash bail, jail officials said. He and Lancaster each face a felony charge of attempted burglary. If convicted of the charge, they face a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine, along with other penalties.