LINCOLN, Maine — A Bangor transient who recently was released from Penobscot County Jail wound up behind bars again Tuesday morning after he reportedly turned up at Walmart in Lincoln with a stolen debit card.
To make matters worse, he allegedly lacked a valid driver’s license and arrived there in a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix reported stolen from a Bangor man.
At the time of his arrest, he was wearing a bright red Fort Fairfield High School Tigers 2006 cheerleading championship jacket that belonged to the man’s girlfriend, Lincoln police Officer Jeff Rice said Wednesday. The jacket had the name “Aimee” embroidered in cursive on its front.
Rice said he was familiar with the car and the jacket. He worked with the couple at a Bangor area restaurant while attending college, he said.
Robert Ryder, 33, so far has been charged with one count each of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, operating after suspension, forgery and misuse of identification and two counts each of theft, burglary to a motor vehicle and violating bail conditions, Rice said.
Rice said Ryder might also be charged with theft and burglary to a motor vehicle in connection with items taken from the former cheerleader’s car in Bangor.
According to Rice, the series of events that led to Ryder’s arrest began Monday in Bangor. Shortly after he was released from jail, Ryder reportedly sought treatment for an injury at Eastern Maine Medical Center. He was released from the hospital about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Rice said.
From there, Ryder apparently walked to a nearby residence and broke into the former cheerleader’s car, where he found the jacket and the spare key to her boyfriend’s nearby car, Rice said.
Ryder then resurfaced in Lincoln, where a Springfield Street resident saw him pick up a gasoline can, shake it and then put it down again. The resident called Lincoln police with a description of the suspect as well as a license plate number.
Ryder then reportedly went to a trailer park off Thomas Drive, where he broke into another vehicle and stole a debit card, which conveniently had the PIN attached, Rice said.
Rice said the card was used to buy gas at Circle K on West Broadway. Ryder reportedly was in the process of using the debit card at Walmart when Rice and Detective John Trask of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department found the suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of Walmart.
Ryder remained at Penobscot County Jail late Thursday unable to make $200 bail.