LINCOLN, Maine – Police Chief William Lawrence on Tuesday said help from a local pawnshop was crucial to two people being charged in connection with thefts of goods, totaling $12,000 in value, from three homes.
Joseph Allen of Lincoln was charged on Dec. 1 with felony theft and a woman Lawrence described as Allen’s girlfriend, Katie Smith of Lincoln, received a summons for theft. Their ages were not immediately available, Lawrence said.
Police sought the two after residents at homes on White Point Estates Road, Aldridge Point Road and Narrow Way identified the suspects on Nov. 30 in connection with the thefts, which occurred several days earlier, Lawrence said.
Beth Enochs, co-owner of Lincoln Trading and Pawn at 29 West Broadway, said workers at her store helped identify the suspects when the owners of the stolen goods saw the items in her shop.
Smith, Lawrence said, is a daughter of one of the victims. The stolen items included jewelry, firearms, a chain saw and a wide-screen television, he said.
Police became involved when Officer Mark Fucile responded to a complaint from one of the homeowners that the stolen items were at Lincoln Trading. The store’s computerized records helped identify the suspects, Lawrence said.
“They run a legitimate business,” Lawrence said. “They are licensed to do their pawn business, and we have a good relationship with them.”
About 90 percent of the stolen items were recovered. Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to call police at 794-8455, Lawrence said.
The pawnshop has helped police handle six to eight burglary or theft complaints in the last few years, Lawrence said.
Enochs said she likes to help police.
“Besides the joy of helping stop people who break into other people’s homes and steal their belongings,” she said, “it maybe helps them [thieves] to think, ‘Well, jeez, if I bring something stolen in here, there’s a pretty good chance I am going to get caught.’”
Allen posted bail at the Penobscot County Jail on Dec. 3 and is due in the Penobscot County Judicial Center on Feb. 5, a jail worker said Monday. Information on the bail Allen posted was not available.
Thieves. Stealing what other people got up in the morning went to work for and earned..
I did at search in the BDN archives. 20 year old somethings with an infant. Wonder who is paying that load.
The mother who worked 2jobs while dad has 0 .
2 people that shouldnt have to be are paying it, but because they have such huge hearts, they are.
Attaboy Chief, wtg. Make sure every skeezer and sneak-thief in three counties knows better than to EVER go to the Lincoln Pawn Shop again. ACK! Lucky if dude doesn’t get his store busted up now, big mouth.
Maybe the kids should get busted up instead of stealing from someone else’s hard work !
Yeah, and ‘maybe’ if I was born rich I wouldn’t have spent half my life making wooden table legs and and clock cabinet parts. =) Got no problem with law & order, but it didn’t strike me as the worlds brightest idea for Law Dawg to make a big hoot about this particular place helping bust people — better off keeping that under the hat and maybe catching a few more in the future.
As for you — go for it, pally — tune up your buster-upper and have at it! Scoot right down to Old Town and whomp-up some stealers and dealers. Nothing between you and doing that but fear and atmosphere. No, huh? Another Keyboard Kommando. LOL Pour yourself another one and carry on, admiral. BTW, is that Popov or Ruble in your glass?
If only the pawn shops that operate dually out of Portland and Bangor who operate with a cell phone only would be as honest as Lincoln
They had no choice when the owners showed up and saw the stuff that was stolen from them. police should keep a very good eye on pawnshops.
The Allen boy made her pawn everything or he would threaten to take the baby away and other awful things according to a police report which was why she wasnt arrested .he set his babies momma up. what a man
Pawnshops help solve more crime than eyewitnesses. Stop selling them short. If the pawnshop was not there, these cretons and many more like them would sell them in the parking lot of the methadone clinic. I enjoyed the 10% figure of honest people given by one poster. I can tell you where that figure came from and you are sitting on it. If you are going to give percentages, share how you came up with it.