MACHIASPORT, Maine — A contractor from Brewer has been arrested on felony theft charges after he allegedly stole more than $14,000 from a local lobster dealer, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.
Todd J. Whittaker, 38, was arrested Thursday on the theft charge, Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith said in a prepared statement. Whittaker is accused of stealing and then cashing a check from the dealer after he had completed a job at BBS Lobster Company, Smith said. Routine accounting audits discovered the alleged theft.
Further investigation by the sheriff’s department revealed that Whittaker was on bail stemming from earlier drug-related charges filed in Aroostook and Penobscot counties, according to Smith. Whittaker was indicted in July in Aroostook County on a charge of unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs.
This week in Washington County, Whittaker was charged with theft by unauthorized taking, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $20,000. He also is facing a misdemeanor charge of violation of conditions of release and remains held at Washington County Jail in Machias, the sheriff said.
According to Smith, Whittaker indicated that the alleged theft was connected to his addiction to heroin.
“This is yet another property crime that was committed in Washington County that appears to be consistent with a spike in drug-related crimes and [emergency service calls] throughout the county,” Smith said in the release.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Department is working collaboratively with other law enforcement agencies to address both the increase in illicit drugs, in particular, heroin, and the expected increase in property crimes expected, he said. The influx of illicit drugs also has caused an increase in the amount of overdose calls that police and emergency medical responders have dealt with in recent weeks.
