LEWISTON – For Norman ‘Bo’ Thompson’s family, Thursday was not a day for celebration. They awoke to large photographs of him in the newspaper, and there were more reports coming from other news outlets.

In the media blitz about his arrest at the hands of Sun Journal photographer Russ Dillingham, the larger issue of Thompson’s problems was not being heard, his older brother said.

“My brother is terribly addicted to crack. He cannot put it down,” said Thompson’s brother, Richard Wilbur. “The more crack he does, the more he steals. That’s painfully obvious. If they would address his drug problem, they wouldn’t have to be chasing him down.”

Wilbur said Thompson, 37, is a lifelong criminal who became addicted to crack cocaine before the age of 14. He has a long criminal record of burglaries and thefts, but never spends much time in jail.

Last week, Lewiston police arrested Thompson on charges that he stole a vehicle and other items. His family breathed more easily knowing that he would be safely behind bars for a while. Or so they thought.

“He was released on personal recognizance,” Wilbur said. “It floored everybody in my family to hear that he was released… The system just shuffles him off, and we fear this will continue until Bo is dead or until he does something bad enough to go away for a long time.”

Wilbur and his family would rather see Thompson in a long-term drug rehabilitation center. Off drugs, Wilbur said, his brother is a good man. He’s the father of a young daughter.

“He’s a decent, hardworking kid when he’s not high,” Wilbur said. “Bo is a super-intelligent, super guy when he’s not high.”

While Wilbur did not defend the actions of his brother, he did dispute some facts in the original story about Thompson’s capture. Specifically, he insisted his brother never possessed of a .45-caliber handgun, as police had suggested.

Wilbur said he and his brother lived in Massachusetts with their mother until the family moved to Maine 19 years ago. By then, he said, Thompson was already hooked on crack.

Soon enough, Thompson found a new supply of the drug up here, and his addiction continued. “It’s been a battle for the entire family,” Wilbur said.

Thompson was being held without bail Thursday at the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn.