By Kelly Morgan,Staff Writer

A man arrested Monday on a charge of bank robbery may be responsible for as many as five local heists pulled off to cover his general expenses and support a drug habit, according to an affidavit filed with the U.S. District Court in Portland.

The affidavit states that David Bolduc, 45, of 176 Hillside Estates in Greene told Auburn police he alone committed five bank robberies in Auburn, Lewiston and Lisbon between Nov. 27, 2005, and Monday.

“Bolduc claimed he needed money to pay for his monthly expenses and to finance his marijuana and crack cocaine addictions,” the document states.

The affidavit also states that Bolduc told Auburn police a notebook used to write notes for all of the robberies and clothes he had worn while committing the crimes could be found at his Greene home.

Bolduc was arrested at gunpoint Monday after he allegedly stole $147.39 from the Androscoggin Savings Bank on Turner Street in Auburn. He appeared in the district court for a hearing Tuesday morning.

The court determined there was enough evidence to support holding Bolduc in jail on a charge of bank robbery until a bail hearing Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Conley said.

“He’s facing up to 20 years in prison,” Conley said, referring to the maximum allowable sentence for the charge. Bolduc also may be fined up to $250,000.

According to the affidavit, the Androscoggin Savings Bank was one of several banks staked out by police and the FBI on Monday. The document states Detective Chad Syphers of the Auburn Police Department saw a beige Ford Contour drive into the parking lot of the Androscoggin Savings Bank just before 9 a.m. and recognized the car as one described to have been used at a Lisbon bank robbery Feb. 21.

When Bolduc exited the vehicle, “Detective Syphers’ attention was also drawn to the man because he was wearing a yellow coat, knit hat and sunglasses which matched the description of those worn during previous bank robberies in Androscoggin County.”

Syphers allowed Bolduc to enter the bank and called for backup while the man was inside. According to the affidavit, Bolduc emerged a minute later and “was looking down at the ground and walking hastily to his vehicle.” He allegedly got into the Ford Contour and drove quickly out of the bank lot, failing to stop at a stop sign before heading into the nearby Wal-Mart parking lot, where he was arrested.

The affidavit states that while Bolduc was patted down after his arrest, police found a roll of coins and a handwritten note in his pocket that read, “EMPTY THE DRAWER. NO ALARMS! I’M ARMED!”

Bolduc was interviewed by Syphers after his arrest Monday. According to the affidavit, he told the detective he committed the robbery that morning because he had run out of money.

A spokesman at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland said records showed Bolduc was unemployed, disabled and divorced.

Since Nov. 27, there have been five bank robberies in Lewiston and Auburn, one in Lisbon Falls and one in Freeport.

According to police, the Freeport robbery was connected to the area because a truck used in the crime was stolen from Auburn.

The affidavit does not state which robberies Bolduc allegedly committed.

No one was injured Monday, but the affidavit states that an employee of the bank approached by Bolduc was crying and upset when interviewed afterward, and said she was scared during the robbery.

Despite her fears, she was able to give police a description of Bolduc and had taken down the license plate number of his car as he drove away.