SKOWHEGAN — With a recent rash of reported home, motor vehicle and business burglaries in town, Police Chief David Bucknam has a message for residents: Lock your doors and windows.

Bucknam said there have been 13 reported break-ins in Skowhegan and five thefts since Friday, including a downtown antiques store, a radiator shop where a handgun was stolen and a marijuana-products supply store on Madison Avenue.

“I would say if they’re breaking into a head shop — it’s hard to say because I don’t know who these guys are — but I think overall, it would be fair to say that it’s a drug issue, trying to feed their drug addiction,” Bucknam said.

“A lot of these places that they’re getting into are open — we’re definitely encouraging everybody to lock your doors in your driveways, lock your house up. We need to stay safe. We need to do our due diligence to protect our own property and not to invite people in.”

Bucknam said the recent up-tick in local burglaries began on Friday when a radiator shop off Waterville Road was broken into and a safe containing a .357-caliber revolver was stolen. The safe was found outside the shop, but the gun was gone.

Red Roof Relics on Water Street in the heart of downtown Skowhegan was broken into at about 8 p.m. Friday, by someone who the caller said was using a crowbar. Police arrived, but the culprits had fled.

There also were four camps reportedly burglarized on the Whittemore Hill Road, past the Notch Road in a rural part of town.

On Monday, homes were broken into on Malbons Mill Road and Madison Avenue and a theft of tailgates was reported from Hight’s used car lot on Madison Avenue.

There also was a burglary and theft of a “substantial amount” of products at Dreamers, a marijuana-related business on Madison Avenue.

Bucknam one of the two men suspected of breaking into Dreamers, Tyler Long, 18, of Norridgewock, later went back to the store and returned the stolen products. He was arrested and charged with burglary and theft, nonetheless.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a second suspect, Bucknam said.

The pot shop break-in is nothing new in central Maine since the relaxing of state laws regarding the use, cultivation and possession of marijuana in 2016. Stores and caregivers have been reported broken into in Madison, Norridgewock and Waterville.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow