WINTHROP, Maine — A Winthrop police detective happened to be in the right place at the right time Tuesday, and two suspected burglars wound up going to jail.
Detective Pete Strout was in the area of Old Lewiston Road when he said he saw “a couple of guys that looked out of place” and a vehicle with a steering column punched out parked in a parking lot next to a vacant house.
Strout said the vehicle was not stolen, but the steering column had been punched out because the occupants, Robert Sherwood, 49, of Whitefield and Michael Brown, 35, of Augusta had left their keys in the vacant house they’re accused of breaking into.
“It was good timing and luck,” Struck said.
Struck called his department and Capt. Ryan Frost and Officer Paul Ferland subsequently responded to the area, and by that time Sherwood and Brown were back in their vehicle, claiming they had left their keys in the parking lot, Struck said.
The suspects’ stories weren’t adding up and some antiques from the house were located behind the vehicle. The male owner of the home, which is used for storage, identified it as his house, Struck explained.
A search warrant on the suspects’ vehicle produced more items from the residence, Struck said, and both were arrested and charged with burglary and theft.
Whitefield and Sherwood were brought to the Kennebec County Jail after their arrest.
