Arrest made in Graymoor Manor burglary

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — A 22-year-old Houlton man was arrested Aug. 30 after allegedly breaking into the Graymoor Manor adult residential care facility and taking a 200-pound safe from one of the residents.
    Following an investigation, Ryan R. Nason was arrested for theft, criminal mischief and violation of a conditional release. Three other individuals were summonsed in connection with the incident. Earl Little, 21, of Houlton was summonsed for receiving stolen property and possession of a schedule Z drug; Leonard Devoe, 43, of Houlton and Miranda McClure, 27, of New Limerick were both summonsed for receiving stolen property.
    According to Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin, the theft was reported at 7:30 a.m. when police were called to the 24 Green St. residential center.
    “Upon speaking with the owners, it was determined that sometime during the night somebody entered the business and took a 200-pound floor safe from a hallway,” Asselin said.
    Items that had been placed on a shelf on top of the safe had been moved and placed on the floor in the former location of the safe, the chief added. Those items were collected for evidence along with the shelf. On the shelf, a shoe print was observed. Staff members were interviewed and pictures were taken of all shoes in the residence and none matched.
    Upon further investigation of the scene, police observed the safe was brought outside the front door and dragged down the porch steps.
    “Fresh chips in the wood steps appear to be consistent with a heavy item being dragged down the steps,” Asselin said.
    A path was found in tall, uncut grass, which led from behind the garage of the property at 24 Green St. into the backyard of 22 Green St. through the grass into the backyard of 2 Chandler St. and then along the house and right behind the residence at 4 Chandler St.
    “It appears that the suspects attempted to break open the safe at that location,” Asselin said.
    Police observed several plastic pieces of the safe on the ground in the area behind 4 Chandler St. Pieces of broken concrete from the safe were also located and the combination lock number knob were also found.  Small amounts of change were located on the ground, as well as a prescription pill bottle with the name removed.
    Police spoke to the occupants of the residence.
    “One individual indicated that she heard loud banging coming from behind their residence the evening before,” the chief said.
    Police obtained permission from the property owner to conduct a search of the property. Police were unable to get into one room that had been padlocked from the outside, so a search warrant was later obtained. Police canvassed the neighborhood and identified one neighbor who observed a lone male pushing a very large object from behind a Green Street garage and then across his neighbor’s lawn. The witness provided a description of the individual involved. About 40 minutes later, the witness indicated that he heard loud banging from a nearby residence. Other neighbors reported hearing loud banging noises as well that night, the chief said.
    Later that night, at approximately 6:15 p.m. officers Stephen Nason and Ezekiel Collins located Ryan Nason on Military St. When Ryan Nason observed the cruiser, he ran, heading toward Leonard Street. He ran behind, and through several residential backyards before he was caught on Leonard Street. He was subsequently interviewed but remained uncooperative, the chief said.
    “Cpl. Dana Duff arrested Nason for burglary stemming from another theft at a residence on Aug. 29,” Asselin said. “Once Mr. Nason was booked into the Aroostook County Jail, Sgt. Eric Crouse and Detective Kris Calaman took photographs of Mr. Nason’s sneakers. Initial observations indicate that the shoe prints found at the scene of Graymoor Manor match the shoe prints of the sneakers Mr. Nason was wearing at the time of his arrest.”
    Upon execution of the search warrant at 4 Chandler Street on Aug. 31, police recovered the safe stolen from Graymoor Manor. A portion of the safe’s door had been peeled back and some of the contents were removed. Police also seized a marijuana plant that was approximately 3 feet tall. Some of the cash and medications in the safe were recovered.