JAY – A man that Jay and Livermore Falls police officers arrested for allegedly stealing a snowmobile last week may have been responsible for earlier break ins at the Spruce Mountain Ski Lodge, police said this morning.
Jay Police Department Chief Larry White Sr. is crediting citizens of the Jay/Livermore area for help police arrest Ronald Davis, 19, on Jan. 29. Davis has been charged with two counts of burglary, both felonies, and one count of theft and criminal mischief.
Police responded to the Spruce Mountain Ski Slope Thursday evening, after the theft of a black and yellow 2003 SkiDoo snow machine out of a pole barn was reported. Officer Stephen Wilkinson investigated and questioned witnesses who claimed they saw the machine being operated shortly before it disappeared.
Wilkinson discovered tracks of what he believed to be the missing snowmobile. A Livermore resident, Mark Holt, who also serves as Jay’s sewer department superintendent, assisted Wilkinson by providing snowmobiles and helping the officer follow the tracks. However, both men lost the trail in the Berry Hill area due heavy snowmobile traffic.
Later that day, Livermore Falls police officers responded to the Pine Ridge Trailer Part off of Rt. 133. Witnesses there had reported seeing the black and yellow snowmobile, after a man approached people in the park trying to sell the machine for $800.
When police arrived, they found that the machine had been secured by a resident, who has asked to remain anonymous. That resident had “confronted the suspect and took the keys from him after a slight altercation” according to White.
The subject, unable to use the snowmobile without the keys, fled on foot. Livermore Falls Police Department Officer Steve Allen, assisted by Officer Michael Mejia and Sgt. Troy Young from Jay’s department, located and detained the man, who has been identified as Davis. Mejia placed him under arrest, initially charging Davis with one count of burglary, one count of theft and one count of criminal mischief, as the snowmobile had apparently sustained some minor damage. He was also charged with operating an unregistered snow machine.
Davis was taken to Franklin County Jail. The next day, Jay Police Department’s Detective Drew Hufnagel interviewed him about a series of break ins at the Spruce Mountain Lodge on Dec. 29, 2008, Jan. 5 and Jan. 6. According to police, roughly $100 and a two-way radio were taken during those incidents, with the building sustaining $500 in damage to windows and locks.
Following the interview, Hufnagel charged Davis with another count of burglary. The case has been referred to the District Attorney’s Office.
White credited both the Jay and Livermore police departments for what he termed as a “collaborative effort.” He also wanted to thank the citizens of both communities who assisted the police in arresting Davis.
“The citizens who came forward to help are to be commended for their efforts,” White said in a statement released today. “Had it not been for their efforts, this case would not have come to a conclusion as quickly as it did. Citizens and the police working together can and do keep our communities safe.”
