A Sanford man who hitchhiked to Bangor on Thursday allegedly tried to rob the man who had given him the ride, putting a knife to the driver’s throat when they arrived in the city just before noon and demanding his wallet, police said.
The alleged encounter took place in the parking lot of the Family Dollar at the intersection of State Street and Broadway. Although the suspect did not end up taking the wallet, the use of a dangerous weapon to threaten someone made it a robbery, police said.
The suspect, 41-year-old Craig Paradis, then took off on foot and was arrested a couple minutes later on Broadway near the intersection with Cumberland Street, according to Sgt. Wade Betters of the Bangor Police Department.
He had evidence of the crime on him at the time, Betters said. Police did not specify what the evidence was.
Police charged Paradis with robbery, a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. They set his bail at $5,000 cash, and he remained in the Penobscot County Jail on Friday.