AUBURN — Donald Ottis Hebert IV pleaded not guilty Friday to 52 misdemeanor and felony counts of burglary, criminal mischief and theft in dozens of break-ins between May 2 and July 14 in Androscoggin County.

Hebert, 46, of 70 Googin St. in Lewiston, appeared in Androscoggin County Superior Court with his court-appointed attorney, Alan Lobozzo. Hebert has been held on $10,000 cash bail at the Androscoggin County Jail since his arrest on July 14.

According to court records, Hebert broke into 25 businesses since early May, including an alleged burglary at the Dairy Treat in Lewiston in June and again at the same shop in July. In June, he is alleged to have taken more than $1,000 in cash plus a safe from the ice cream shop and, last month, is alleged to have stolen another $1,000 in cash and property there.

During the 11-week period of the alleged burglaries and thefts, Hebert is believed to have taken or destroyed well over $30,000 in cash and property from businesses and nonprofits in Lewiston, Auburn, Turner and Lisbon.

In addition to burglary and theft at Dairy Treat, burglaries occurred at Longchamps & Sons Inc. Construction and New England Vending in Lisbon.

In Lewiston, Hebert is alleged to have committed burglaries at Langlois Body Shop, Tri-State Insulation, Grimmel’s Service Station, Edward’s Restaurant, Gendron’s Mobil, Maine Cycle, Young Guns Service Center, Euro Motors, the Sun Journal, Hahnel Brothers Co., E S Boulas, Fast Breaks Restaurant, Start to Finish, Top Notch Fabrication, Al’s Sports Center, Chick-A-Dee Restaurant and Dairy Joy.

Hebert also is charged with breaking into the Knights of Columbus Hall, the Elks Club and a Lewiston Parks and Recreation building, where he is alleged to have destroyed file cabinets and other city property.

In Auburn, Hebert has been charged with burglaries at Reggie’s Sales and Service tractor supply, and, in Turner, with a burglary at K&K Excavating.

He was arrested July 14 at Reggie’s Sales & Service on Minot Avenue, shortly before 2:30 a.m., when his entrance to the building set off an alarm.

Of all the burglaries included in the indictment, the greatest damage occurred at Gendron’s Mobil in May, where Hebert is alleged to have taken money and baseball cards valued at more than $10,000.

In addition to a charge of violating conditions of release and one charge of stealing marijuana from an authorized marijuana dealer, Hebert faces 27 charges of felony burglary, 11 charges of theft by unauthorized taking, three charges of criminal mischief and eight charges of aggravated criminal mischief.

In court Friday, Justice MaryGay Kennedy read aloud each of the 52 charges against Hebert, and asked him to enter pleas to each charge separately. It took several minutes to work through the list, and Hebert leaned forward on a railing and started shaking his head after the 40th charge against him was read aloud.

After the charges were read and the not guilty pleas accepted, Hebert did not challenge his bail amount of $10,000 cash, or to conditions that — if released from jail — he not use or possess alcohol or drugs, that he remain in Maine and that he undergo substance-abuse counseling.

If convicted of all charges, according to Maine statute, he could face sentences totaling more than 230 years in jail and nearly $250,000 in fines.

Hebert was also charged earlier this year with two counts of animal cruelty after Lewiston police rescued a 6-month-old pit bull named Sammy, that allegedly had duct tape wrapped around its eyes and mouth, at Hebert’s home.

According to police, Hebert’s children found the dog in the bathroom, where the animal had been shut to silence him. The dog was treated at the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society and later offered for adoption.

jmeyer@sunjournal.com

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