Man arrested after armed robbery at South Portland hotel

A man has been arrested in connection with an armed robbery Monday evening at a South Portland hotel, police announced Tuesday.

Lt. Thomas Simonds identified the suspect as Michael Parker, 40, a transient formerly of South Portland.

Michael Parker

Parker was charged with armed robbery, theft, two counts of assault, two counts of obstructing a report of a crime or injury, and two counts of criminal mischief. He was also charged with violating his bail conditions from a prior arrest.

Officers were called to the Best Western hotel at 700 Main St. around 5:30 p.m. Monday, South Portland police said in a news release.

Two hotel guests told the officers that a man whom they knew came to their room, displayed a knife and assaulted one of them. The man took the victims’ personal property and smashed their cellphones before fleeing.

One of the victims chased the suspect on foot. Police established a perimeter around an area where they believed he could be hiding and used a dog to track him. The canine track led to an empty parking spot two blocks from the hotel.

The victims identified their assailant and police agencies throughout southern Maine were notified. Later Monday night, Saco and Old Orchard Beach police spotted Parker’s car on Route 1.

“A high-risk stop was conducted by the Saco and Old Orchard Beach police on Route 98 (Cascade Road) and one occupant was placed under arrest,” Simonds said in the release.

Simonds later explained that the officers had to order Parker to get out of his car, as opposed to pulling him over and walking up to the driver’s side window to speak with him. Parker was placed under arrest around 10:30 p.m.

Parker’s vehicle was towed to the South Portland Police Department while police obtained a search warrant.

Simonds said more charges could be filed against Parker, who was being held Tuesday night at the Cumberland County Jail. A jail intake worker said Parker is being held without bail.

Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

[email protected]

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