LEWISTON – One teenager was being questioned and another was being sought late Tuesday after police searched for a pair of burglary suspects in the woods behind the Longley School.

For more than an hour, police officers combed the area between Birch Street and East Avenue after the suspects fled into the woods.

Police said a school janitor spotted the pair trying to enter the Birch Street school through a rear window about 9:15 p.m. When officers arrived, they found damage to a window and two suspects who took off into the dark.

“It’s a thickly wooded area out there,” said police Lt. Tom Avery. “The officers went into the woods searching for the suspects while trying to listen to what was going on around them.”

Police entered the woods from behind the Longley School and from points around the Lewiston High School, Hudson Bus Lines and Marcotte Park.

About 10 p.m., officers found one of the suspects hiding in the woods behind Hudson Bus Lines, police said.

The suspect was captured and taken to Central Maine Medical Center. Police said the suspect suffered scratches from running through the woods, but that none of the wounds appeared serious.

An hour after the burglary attempt was first reported, police remained at the scene. Several officers were in the woods with flashlights, searching for the second suspect, who was described as wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt.

Avery said the teen who was caught would be questioned after he was examined at the hospital. The suspect was not identified.

By 11 p.m., the second suspect remained at large. However, police said they had learned his identity as the search continued.


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