WATERVILLE — Local police have made arrests in connection with a robbery in the wee hours of Friday morning at a motel on Kennedy Memorial Drive, and they expect more to come.

Two men reportedly walked into the office at the Budget Host Airport Inn at 3:45 a.m. and demanded money from the concierge, said Waterville Deputy Chief Bill Bonney.

According to Bonney, one man displayed a handgun during the incident. The pair drove off in a vehicle with an undisclosed amount of cash, he said.

The arrest of Patrick Leblanc, 21, of 11 Mountain View Terrace in Skowhegan, occurred as part of a series of police actions that included a total of three arrests and two residential searches.

The other two men were arrested at 6:08 p.m. Friday during a traffic stop on Redington Street.

Police began surveillance Friday afternoon and arrested Tylor Reece, 22, of 29 Railroad St. in Skowhegan, during the traffic stop for several warrants from the Augusta Police Department, Bonney said.

The warrants charge Reece with robbery, aggravated assault and theft. He was taken to the Kennebec County jail and is being held in lieu of $50,000 cash bail.

Police also arrested Joshua Bilodeau, 25, of 10 Percival Court in Waterville, during the traffic stop on charges of hindering the apprehension of Reece, a class C felony; operating a vehicle after a suspension, a class E misdemeanor; and having improper plates, as his car’s plates were allegedly illegal, also a class E misdemeanor.

Waterville police are “very familiar” with Bilodeau, Waterville Sgt. Joshua Woods said.

After the traffic stop, the investigation “rapidly” evolved, according to Bonney.

Police executed search warrants in both Waterville and Skowhegan. The first was executed at 8:39 p.m. Friday at 10 Percival Court; the second, at 2:03 a.m. Saturday at 11 Mountain View Terrace in Skowhegan.

As a result of the searches and a Skowhegan police investigation, a stolen vehicle from New Hampshire was recovered, Bonney said.

Leblanc was arrested at 2:40 a.m. as a result of the searches. He was charged with the robbery at the Budget Host Airport Inn, a class A felony. While robbery is not always a class A crime, Woods said, the charge is elevated if the alleged robber is armed or causes bodily harm to someone during the robbery. Woods did not confirm whether Leblanc was the man with the handgun during the robbery.

Leblanc also was arrested on four warrants that allege he failed to pay fines on assault charges.

He was taken to the Kennebec County jail and is being held on $11,635 cash bail — $10,000 for the charge of robbery, and the rest for fines, Woods said.

Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239

mstamour@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @madelinestamour