An Aroostook County man is in police custody after he allegedly padlocked a Masardis couple inside their home just one week after pouring gasoline on the front door of their residence.

Brandon Saucier Maine State Police photo

Maine State Police Cpl. Dennis Quint identified the suspect as Brandon Saucier, 36, of Ashland. Saucier faces charges of criminal restraint and terrorizing. He is being held at the Aroostook County Jail.

According to Quint, state police responded to a home on Blackwater Road in Masardis on Friday to investigate a complaint from the home’s owners.

The victims told police that someone had placed a padlock on their front door, making it impossible to open. The victim and her partner thought at first that an accumulation of snow and ice might be preventing them from opening the door, but after contacting a neighbor, they learned that the door had been locked shut. The neighbor used bolt cutters to set them free.

Quint said an investigation revealed that about a week before state police were contacted, someone poured gasoline on the front door of the home and left the can with the lid off on the steps.

Police arrested Saucier, who is scheduled to make his initial court appearance in Presque Isle this week.

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