JAY – An Androscoggin County dive team found a safe in the Androscoggin River on Friday that had been stolen from a Ludden Drive home in Jay.

Earlier this week, Jay police charged Shane Morse, 18, of Jay and three juveniles with felony burglary and theft in connection with the break-in at Ludden Drive. During interviews, police learned that the safe and a computer may have been thrown into the river.

Also stolen in the break-in were three .22-caliber rifles, two 12-gauge shotguns, and one .22-caliber revolver, an antique coin collection, power tools and liquor.

Members of the Auburn Police Department Dive Team and Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team searched the 33-degree water off the Phipps Canada Road that runs behind Verso Paper’s mill, off Riley Road.

About noon, Auburn police Lt. Richard Coron and Paul Rollins, a civilian on the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Dive Team, surfaced near the shore of the river.

They had the safe.

They found it about 15 feet offshore in about 8 feet of water, a short distance from where police believe it was thrown in.

Rollins and Coron tied a rope around the safe and pushed from the bottom with the help of another dive team member, Jim Quinlan, as Jay police Detective Richard Caton IV and Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Bill Gagne pulled the safe up the embankment.

“It’s the safe we’re looking for,” Caton said, after inspecting it.

The safe was empty.

Police had already recovered some of the stolen items during their investigation.

A report on finding the safe was sent to the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office, Caton said, and the safe has been placed into evidence.

“We’re happy, definitely happy,” Caton said. “They all did a good job.”

The dive was the first made by the team since the Nov. 4 death of Androscoggin Sheriff’s Deputy David Rancourt. Rancourt, 40 and the former head of the dive team, died during an evidence recovery dive in the river near the Veterans Bridge, which spans the river between Lewiston and Auburn.