Cup O’ Joe: Crime doesn’t pay

You would think criminals would learn. Coming to Houlton to cross the border into Canada only nets you a one-way ticket back to jail.
    Saturday evening was just another fine example of this fact as the Houlton Police Department captured a Louisiana man who had escaped from a Waterproof, La. correctional institute on Thursday and somehow made his way all the way to Houlton.
Benjamin Gottke, 43, had been at-large since Thursday, when he escaped from the Tensas Parish Detention Center in Waterproof, La. He attempted to cross into Canada, but then fled the border crossing and abandoned his vehicle at the Irving Big Stop.
The Internet was buzzing with activity Saturday evening when word came that a fugitive was at large in the Shiretown. Gottke managed to wander through Houlton, before being spotted in the area of Park and High streets, by passing motorists. He was apprehended by Houlton police a short time later.
It was the second time this year that an out-of-state fugitive was captured in Houlton trying to cross the border into Canada. Back in May, Joseph Wright, a 23-year-old Lynn, Mass. man who was wanted for murder in his home state, was apprehended by Maine State Police, in conjunction with U.S. Customs and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
It’s no secret that crime is on the rise. It is most likely a sign of the economic times we are in and it is happening everywhere. According to a recent report by the Maine Department of Public Safety, crime in Maine increased 5.4 percent during 2011. This increase is the largest jump since 1975. Burglaries increased for the third year in a row, up 10 percent in 2011 (8,079 reported in 2011 vs. 7,343 in 2010). Burglaries were up 8.6 percent the year before.
Larceny-thefts increased in 2011 by 3.5 percent (25,344 thefts reported in 2011 vs. 24,490 reported in 2010). Although robberies decreased 2.4 percent in 2011, Maine police reported only 10 less cases of robberies than the year before (406 cases in 2011 vs. 416 cases in 2010). Robberies had increased in 2010 by 4.3 percent and in 2009 saw a 19.9 percent increase.
Both aggravated assaults and simple assaults increased in 2011. Aggravated assaults, which involve serious injury and usually a weapon, increased by 16.3 percent (884 cases in 2011 vs. 760 cases in 2010). Simple assaults increased by 15.3 percent (12,200 cases reported in 2011 vs. 10,581 simple assaults for 2010).
Motor vehicle thefts increased by 5.5 percent in 2011 (1,039 vehicles were stolen in 2011 vs. 985 vehicles stolen in 2010). There were 28 homicides in 2011 compared to 24 homicides in 2010.
Domestic violence assaults also increased during 2011 by 4.6 percent in 2011 (5,353 reported in 2011 vs. 5,117 reported in 2010). This increase reversed three straight years of declines in domestic violence assaults in Maine.
Also in the report, the value of property stolen during 2011 was $29,652,360 compared to $24,973,032 in 2010. Police recovered $6,194,483 of stolen property during 2011 for a recovery rate of 23.2 percent.
With technology the way it is, it’s surprising anyone does any illegal activity. Cameras are everywhere as they are standard equipment on nearly every cellular phone, laptop computer or Internet tablet device.
Perhaps it is time for the old “Neighborhood Watch” campaign to be reignited in the area to further discourage criminal activity. Aroostook County folks are pretty adept at spotting something or someone that is out of place. Think about it, how often does a vehicle with out of state license plates jump out at you?
The Gottke apprehension is a perfect example of this. A motorist, on his way to Houlton Farms Dairy to warn his daughter about the police search, spotted a suspicious looking person walking along the street and reported it to police. Within minutes he was apprehended and back behind bars. Kudos to the Houlton Police Department and U.S. Customs for their fast action in what could have been a much different situation.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at pioneertimes@ nepublish.com or 532-2281.