BANGOR, Maine — A routine traffic stop for driving without headlights early Tuesday revealed an auto theft and a burglary, according to Bangor police.
Devin Tracy, 18, whose last known address was in Brewer, faces multiple charges after his arrest at about 1 a.m. Tuesday, according to Bangor police Sgt. Paul Edwards.
The incident unfolded on Cedar Street when Bangor police Officer Kim Donnell noticed a blue Ford Ranger traveling near Third Street without its headlights on. When Donnell and fellow police Officer Shawn Green pulled the vehicle over, they noticed that it also had no license plates.
Tracy, who was alone in the vehicle, could not produce a license and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to Edwards. He was arrested after a field sobriety test, said Edwards.
Officers who searched the pickup truck became suspicious about several seemingly out-of-place items in it — ranging from electronic equipment to numerous tools — and the fact that the key in the ignition had a yellow used car label on it. Officers eventually discovered that the vehicle had been stolen from the Bumper 2 Bumper car dealership on Hammond Street, which is a division of Bangor Car Care in Brewer.
Glen Geiser, general manager of Bangor Car Care, said officers called him at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and asked him to meet them at Bumper 2 Bumper. Geiser said a back office window had been broken and that some tools, change and knives had been stolen. The key to the stolen Ranger, which had been traded in Monday, had been taken off a desk, according to Geiser.
Of most concern, according to Geiser, were the stolen tools, which belonged to a Bumper 2 Bumper employee.
“The tools were of more concern to me than the truck,” he said. “These guys invest a lot of money for their tools and it’s how they survive. This guy had stolen someone’s livelihood.” Geiser said police returned all the missing items.
Tracy, who is being held in the Penobscot County Jail, faces a felony burglary charge along with misdemeanor charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft, operating without a license and operating an unregistered vehicle. People younger than 21 who test positive for alcohol but below the 0.08 blood alcohol content threshold for adults are charged with operating without a license in Maine, said Edwards.
Tracy had not yet been scheduled for a court appearance Tuesday afternoon. Edwards said the Bangor Police Department “has had contact” with Tracy in the past, though he couldn’t elaborate.
“It’s amazing that a little violation like this can blow up into something large and unexpected,” he said.
Geiser said he has already made plans to have security cameras installed at the Hammond Street facility.
“I’ve got 16 cameras at our Brewer location,” he said. “Now I’m going to put cameras up on Hammond Street as well. They’re a very good deterrent.”