Homes are being targeted by burglars in York County.
Houses in Acton and Shapleigh were hit last week, and on Wednesday, two properties in Waterboro were targeted.
The Waterboro break-ins happened near Lake Arrowhead, but the sheriff said these are just the most recent.
County police have seen more than two dozen burglaries in their coverage area since November, and the sheriff believes it’s directly related to drugs.
Terry Hackett moved to Waterboro in the 1970s.
“I’ve seen a lot of strangers around this area lately, and I know the town pretty well,” Hackett said.
His neighborhood was the target of two home break-ins on Wednesday, both in broad daylight.
“I’ve traveled all over the world, and I’m not used to seeing that in my backyard. It’s really different,” Hackett said.
York County Sheriff Bill King said the thieves broke down doors and ransacked the homes. The same thing happened last week in Acton and Shapleigh.
“The burglars will go up and knock on the door. They may feign some excuse if someone is home and just move on,” King said.
The sheriff said there have been 28 residential burglaries since November in the nine towns his department covers.
He said in at least 10 of them, the thieves got away with guns.
“The firearms stolen are being brought down to Massachusetts in exchange for heroin,” King said.
Investigators believe several different groups of people may be behind the break-ins.
“It’s a nice community here, and we don’t want any of that going on around here. I hope they catch the person,” said Lisa Nava, a Waterboro resident.
In the meantime, neighbors remain vigilant. “Everybody looks out for everybody else. It’s a small group,” Nava said.
“You don’t think anything bad is going to happen in Maine. I mean, I used to leave my door unlocked all the time. Everything’s locked up now; we’re locked and loaded,” Hackett said.
The sheriff says his department is turning to social media to warn people and ask for help. That strategy has been successful for them in the past. He is asking the public to call his department if they see anything suspicious.