PARIS – An alert neighbor foiled a burglary and led to the apprehension of two men Sunday morning.

Paris and Norway police combined to arrest Derek M. Bonney Jr., 18, of Norway and a 17-year-old male from Oxford on charges of attempted burglary when alerted to an attempted break-in of an apartment at 27 Charles St. in Paris.

Bonney was also charged with two counts of burglary, two counts of theft and parole violation.

Bonney’s accomplice was also charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.

Paris Patrolman Harry Sims said the added counts against Bonney stemmed from his having stolen property from a burglary committed earlier that day at 18 Gary St., Paris. Sims said Bonney also had keys to apartments in his apartment complex that weren’t to his apartment.

A call from a neighbor that two men were attempting to break into the building brought Sims to the scene quickly. He said police have had several complaints about attempted daytime burglaries at that address.

Sims said the pair ran off in different directions as soon as he pulled in.

He called for assistance and was aided by Norway policeman Scott Laliberte, Oxford County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Tim Ontengco and Maine State Police Trooper Kyle Tilsley, whom he said were all in the vicinity.

“I chased Bonney through trees and bushes and found him under a table in a storage shed,” Sims said. “Laliberte caught the other one running down railroad tracks behind Dead River near Alpine Park.”

Bonney had been indicted on March 18 by the Oxford County grand jury for a count of theft.

“He was out on bail for stealing a snowmobile in Paris,” Sims said. “Laliberte caught him earlier in the winter on Norway Lake with a stolen snowmobile.”

Single surety bail of $25,000 or $5,000 cash was set on all of Bonney’s charges except for the parole violation, for which there is no bail.

The juvenile was remanded to his parents’ custody.
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