A man accused of mangling a house with a grapple skidder was arrested Saturday in Portage.
Gary Belanger of Portage Lake was charged with aggravated criminal mischief, criminal trespass and violating conditions of release, Aroostook County Sheriff Peter Johnson said.
The sheriff’s office received a report about 4:40 p.m. that a skidder was obstructing part of Route 11, which goes through Portage, and the driver “was behaving strangely.” Reports indicated a nearby home appeared to have been “torn apart,” the sheriff said.
Deputies arrived to find Belanger standing atop the skidder, which he owns. The house showed considerable damage and a significant propane leak, Johnson said.
Officers persuaded Belanger to come down from the skidder and arrested him.
Peter Beaupre and his wife, Carla Beaupre, own the home, Johnson said Monday. The house and a pickup on the property are deemed total losses.
More charges are pending, Johnson said.