Stolen vehicles recovered
Several stolen vehicles were recovered over the weekend, through a joint effort of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office and the Maine State Police.
“Just before 7 a.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2015, the ACSO received a report from a resident on Fox Hill Road in Portage that their Toyota Corolla had been taken from their driveway in the last 10 minutes. During the same time frame, we became aware that the State Police were responding to a reported vehicle theft in Eagle Lake,” said Sheriff Darrell Crandall, of the ACSO.
Crandall said his agency received a second report of a stolen vehicle around 7:30 a.m. — this time from the State Road in Castle Hill.
“This vehicle was a Toyota Camry,” said Crandall. “Deputy Sheriff Chad Foley and Trooper Adam Stoutamyer began working together on this investigation early Sunday and recovered a total of five stolen vehicles by mid-afternoon.”
According to Crandall, witness reports helped the officers identify a suspect, Thomas Klinger, 41, of Eagle Lake.
“The Sheriff’s Office charged Klinger with three counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, which is a Class D misdemeanor,” said Crandall, noting the MSP also filed charges related to the thefts.
Crandall said a third theft report came in at just before 4 p.m., from a resident on the Portage Road in Portage.
“This vehicle had been taken earlier in the day, but was not noticed right away. This vehicle was a Nissan Pathfinder,” he said.
The sheriff said it’s believed that Klinger took the first of the five vehicles in Eagle Lake, where he lives, and continued to take vehicles between Eagle Lake and Castle Hill.
“At Castle Hill, he reversed direction and took vehicles to get him back to where he started in Eagle Lake. That is where Klinger was found and charged,” Crandall said.
Crandall said the motivation for these crimes is not yet known. No one was injured and only one of the vehicles sustained any damage.
It is believed that all of the vehicles were unlocked and the keys were in the ignition when they were taken. The case will be turned over to the District Attorney’s Office for review.
