A Hartland man was arrested Sunday after allegedly burglarizing several motor vehicles on Pond Road and leading police on an hours-long chase on foot and in a vehicle.
Todd Thomas Spencer, 25, is charged with seven counts of burglary of a motor vehicle, operating under the influence, eight counts of violating condition of release and operating after suspension.
Spencer was allegedly spotted going through several unlocked cars on Pond Road in Hartland at around 7 a.m. Sunday, and owners of the vehicles called police, said Chief Deputy James Ross of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.
“He was confronted by the owners of the vehicles and took off running,” Ross said. Deputies from the sheriff’s office responded with a dog and began searching for Spencer in the woods and a marshy area, he said. But their search was halted when the dog fell through some ice in a bog and had to be rescued. The dog, Ruger, was not seriously injured and is doing fine, Ross said.
“By the time the deputy got the dog safely back on dry ground, Mr. Spencer had gotten far enough ahead and it appeared that he fled in a motor vehicle,” Ross said.
Meanwhile, state police, unaware that Spencer was wanted for the alleged burglaries on Pond Road, stopped him and issued him a summons for driving with a suspended license, Ross said. State police could not be reached for comment late Monday.
“They ended up taking him home, but when they found out about everything else that had happened, he was charged with the additional charges,” Ross said.
Spencer was arrested and taken to the Somerset County Jail. He is being held without bail because of the violations of conditions of release, Ross said. He said he was unsure what prior charges the conditions were related to.
Police are still investigating the case, but Ross said the items taken from the cars on Pond Road were mostly small items and loose change. He said it is rare for there to be witnesses to motor vehicle burglaries, and the fact that the burglaries took place in the morning helped police respond quickly.
“Usually they take place in the middle of the night when everyone’s asleep. For them to be seen and visible like that is very rare,” Ross said. “It’s unusual to catch people in the act like that.”
Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
Twitter: @rachel_ohm
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