RANGELEY – Police arrested a Norway man early Saturday after responding to two home invasions reported minutes apart on Stratton Road.
Richard K. Thorpe, 23, is accused of entering two residences Saturday in Rangeley while residents were sleeping, Rangeley Police Chief Phil Weymouth said Monday. The residents awoke while he in the residences, the chief said.
Thorpe also was indicted by an Oxford County grand jury this spring in connection with a home invasion in which an 11-year-old boy was allegedly punched by Thorpe while he was sleeping, Norway Police Chief Robert Federico said Monday.
The incidents in Rangeley were reported at 2:52 a.m. and 2:58 a.m., Weymouth said.
In the first case, parents heard a noise and awoke to find Thorpe heading toward their 7-year-old daughter’s bedroom on the second floor, Weymouth said. They apparently scared him off and called police, he said.
In the second incident, an 18-year-old woman awoke when a light flicked on in the bedroom and she got up and said, “Mom?” but received no answer, Weymouth said.
The intruder had fled downstairs; the woman followed, turned on a bathroom light and found Thorpe in there, the chief said.
The intruder put his fingers to his mouth and said, “Shh,” the victim reported in a statement, Weymouth said, then the intruder put his hands on her shoulders and moved her out of the way of the door as he walked out of the bathroom and continued to walk around inside the residence before leaving.
The woman screamed and woke others at the home, the chief said.
State police Trooper Mathew Casavant and his tracking dog, Kaiser, and Franklin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Steven Lowell responded to help Turcotte look for the intruder, Weymouth said.
When found, Thorpe was charged with burglary, assault, violation of conditions of release, criminal trespass and refusing to sign summonses, Weymouth said.
In the earlier incidents, Norway Chief Federico said police received a 911 call early on April 2 from a man who said he heard someone trying to get into the house and, when he went to the door, the man took off. That same morning, about 4:50 a.m., police received another call reporting that a man had entered a residence and punched an 11-year-old boy in the face, Federico said. The boy had a black eye, he said.
Thorpe was indicted this spring on charges of burglary and assault, Federico said. He hadn’t been arraigned on those charges as of Monday, the chief said. Probation officers had also charged Thorpe at that time with violating probation, Federico added.
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