HOULTON, Maine — Police have made progress in identifying a Grinch-like thief or thieves who have been breaking into area homes, sometimes while people were asleep, and stealing cash and Christmas gifts.
A search warrant was executed Wednesday at a home in the community as part of the investigation, local Police Chief Joe McKenna said Wednesday. He said he could not identify the street address because it would compromise the investigation.
“No arrests have been made so far,” he said. “We do have some leads and the investigation is ongoing.”
Five residences were burglarized between midnight and 4 a.m. Friday, while the occupants of all five homes were asleep, he said earlier.
At least one of the home burglaries was a scene straight out of Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” as one couple awoke to find presents under their tree had been stolen.
Another home was targeted on Monday evening while the residents were in, but the burglars apparently were scared off before they could find anything of value, according to McKenna.
“Going into occupied homes is pretty brazen,” the chief said.
Wallets, purses, loose change, cellphones, gift cards and, in one case, Christmas gifts were taken from the homes. The gifts were located outside the one residence after they had been opened. Some of the gifts were found discarded after they had been opened, as the thieves were only looking for certain types of items that could be quickly converted into cash, McKenna surmised.
Homes on Alfred, Rodgers, Columbia and South streets as well as Ridgeview Drive were burglarized.
“With the exception of one of these cases, the individuals targeted homes with attached garages,” McKenna said. “They pried open the garage door and entered the home through an unsecured door leading from the garage.”
Other residences showed signs of attempted break-ins, but the burglars were not successful. The total combined value of the items stolen was about $1,000.
Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call the Houlton Police Department at 532-2287.
Houlton Pioneer Times writer Joe Cyr contributed to this report.