LEWISTON – Police took a pair of men into custody Friday night after another man reported he was robbed at gunpoint in the woods off Bates Street.
Police officer Matt Cashman held both suspects at gunpoint as other officers arrived in the area about 7:30 p.m. Both suspects were taken to the police station for questioning. They were later released.
At the dead end of Bates Street, 43-year-old Leo Beaupre stood watching the activity and mopping his head with a towel.
Beaupre said he was walking on a trail at the ends of Bates and Blake streets when he was approached by a man he had encountered in the woods moments earlier.
“He came up behind me and put the gun against my head,” Beaupre said. “I could feel the cold steel against my skin. I was afraid to look around.”
Beaupre said the man stood behind him and demanded money. The suspect reached into Beaupre’s pockets and pulled cash from each of them, he said.
“I was afraid he was going to shoot me. I thought I’d at least get a blow to the back of the head,” Beaupre said. “I was looking at a house and thinking that is the last thing I’ll see.”
Instead, the suspect took Beaupre’s money – close to $100 – and vanished back into the darkness. The trail where the robbery occurred winds through a small patch of woods above the Lewiston Public Works garage.
Beaupre fled from the area and reported the robbery.
“I never felt my feet touch the ground,” he said. “I was so glad when he walked away.”
Several police officers swarmed the area moments after the heist was reported. Cashman interviewed Beaupre at the scene while other officers began searching near the public works garage and other buildings in the area.
Beaupre told police the man who robbed him had introduced himself as “Dan” or “David” shortly before the stickup. Based on that information, police began searching for a suspect who was known to live in the woods where the robbery took place.
That man was one of the men found in the woods, police said. He was with the second suspect when Cashman found the pair.
Police searched the woods near the crime scene, hunting for evidence. No gun was found. Detective Brian O’Malley was called in to take over the investigation. Late Friday night, the men who were questioned about the robbery were released.
Lt. Tom Avery said police would continue to investigate the heist throughout the night. Beaupre was shaken but unhurt in the stickup.
“That was nuts,” Beaupre said. “I’m glad it’s over.”
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