BERWICK, Maine — Police arrested four teens accused of vandalizing cars, breaking into cars and homes and stealing from retailers.
“I believe we’re around 15 to 20 reported crimes,” said Detective Ron Lund at the Berwick Police Department.
Lund said the crimes started six months ago with vandalism and escalated to home break-ins and arson.
“They’ve basically been terrorizing the community,” Lund said.
Police confirmed the crimes on the teens’ Facebook accounts.
“Basically the group was communicating through social media,” Lund said. “They were planning their crimes, they were bragging about them, as well as trying to sell the proceeds.”
Officers recovered most of the merchandise from two apartments at 30 School St. It consisted of laptops, tablets, cell phones, smoking paraphernalia and prescription drugs. Lund estimated the property they collected to be worth around $4,000.
While he’s seen similar cases, Lund said these are especially painful for the community.
“We’ve had numerous meetings about these students, at local schools and just trying to get them under control,” he said.
Lund said police could make up to four more arrests and hopes they serve as a lesson.
“We’re hoping that, you know, their crimes will slow down and this will act as a wake up call for them,” Lund said.