Paris Fire Department Capt. Mark Blaquiere said firefighters quickly knocked down a vehicle fire Sunday night in a sand pit off Oxford Street. It was one of three vehicles reported stolen over the weekend, police said.
A Jeep from Otisfield was found burning in a sand pit off Oxford Street in Paris on Sunday. It was one of three vehicles reported stolen over the weekend, police said.
PARIS — Police are investigating the weekend thefts of three vehicles, one of which was found burning in Paris on Sunday and another in a swamp in Oxford on Monday.
Detective Sgt. Michael Dailey of the Paris Police Department said he believes all three thefts are connected.
“We’ve had a rash of stolen cars in the area over the last few days,” Dailey said. “We had two reported stolen in Paris and one in Otisfield, which was the Jeep we found on fire.”
Dailey said the Jeep was reported stolen Saturday evening.
Paris Fire Capt. Mark Blaquiere said firefighters were called to a sand pit off Oxford Street for an outdoor fire, but discovered it was a burning Jeep.
“We weren’t told that it was a vehicle on fire and didn’t realize that it was until we got on scene,” Blaquiere said. “We had to cut a lock on the gate that was blocking the entryway.”
The vehicle was a total loss, he said.
“We’ve since turned the case over to the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, since the Jeep was stolen in Otisfield,” Dailey said.
Lt. Michael Ward of the Oxford Police Department said a pickup truck stolen from Paris was discovered Monday morning “buried up to its floorboards in mud and water.”
Ward said the vehicle was found on an old woods road off Swamp Road.
The Paris Police Department is investigating that burglary, Ward said.
The Oxford County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately reply to a message left Monday morning.
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