Two men have been arrested and charged for the armed robberies of two letter carriers in Lewiston on Saturday and for burglaries at post offices in Paris and North Monmouth last week.

Winston O. McLeod, 30, of 138 Pleasant St. in Auburn and Lance Funderburk each face a count of conspiracy to rob U.S. postal carriers and to burglarize U.S. post offices, according to court records.

No address or age was available for Funderburk.

McLeod was taken to the Oxford County Jail in Paris. Federal postal authorities then picked up McLeod and brought him to a facility in New Hampshire, according to jail officials. Funderburk was transported to Strafford County Jail in New Hampshire, according to the affidavit.

McLeod and Funderburk had their initial appearances Monday in Portland.

The two men were arrested and charged late Saturday, with the assistance of the Rumford police, according to Emily Spera, a U.S. postal inspector and spokesperson for the United States Postal Service’s Boston Division.

Paris police said Monday they arrested McLeod in Rumford on charges of criminal mischief, burglary, violation of condition of release and theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, all related to the break-in at the post office at 39 Tremont St. on Paris Hill.

Neither police nor Spera previously identified Funderburk as the second suspect, but his involvement was detailed in an affidavit supporting an application for a criminal complaint. The affidavit links the Paris and North Monmouth burglaries, the Lewiston robberies, and McLeod and Funderburk as suspects.

According to the affidavit, entry to the Paris post office was made through a window under which investigators found two Apple iPhones in the snow. One of the phone’s lock screens had an image of a man and a woman and analysts were able to use facial recognition software to determine the man in the image was McLeod.

Warrants issued to search the phones identified a co-conspirator referred to as “Eddy,” who had received text messages with addresses, including the Paris post office, Breau’s Too gas station at 12 South Main St. in Bryant Pond and a residence in Bryant Pond.

According to Spera in an email to the Sun Journal and in the affidavit, postal assets and mail were taken in the two post office break-ins.

“Luckily, the carriers were physically uninjured in both attacks,” Spera said. “During the robberies, the suspect brandished a knife and took postal property from the letter carriers.”

According to Rumford police, about three hours after the robberies in Lewison, Officer Dakota Willhoite was on patrol on Route 108, a common route from Lewiston to Rumford, when he encountered a Pennsylvania-registered Ford Mustang speeding toward Rumford.

Willhoite stopped the vehicle and encountered two individuals who he later determined matched the description of the individuals involved in the robberies. Funderburk was operating the vehicle and McLeod was in the passenger seat wearing a head and face covering and baseball hat, according to the affidavit. Funderburk was carrying two knives, one a black butterfly knife as described by one of the Lewiston robbery victims. McLeod provided a false name and was wanted for an outstanding charge of operating after suspension.

Additional officers and the State Police K9 Team arrived at the scene to assist Willhoite with the investigation, which led to the discovery of knives, several thousand dollars in cash, and evidence believed to be related to the burglaries and robberies, including a Louis Vuitton case containing several checks with different names.

During the search, a 2010 Jeep Patriot which was suspected in the Lewiston robberies stopped at the scene and two co-conspirators emerged, police said. A man named Eddy stated the Mustang was his rental vehicle and the suspects were using it with his permission.

McLeod was arrested on an active warrant and a search revealed $4,382 in his underwear.

Later, police asked Funderburk to retrieve McLeod from the Oxford County Jail. A fourth unnamed co-conspirator drove the Jeep to the station. Police then discovered Funderburk hiding on the floor of the vehicle and police detained him. During a search, police found multiple items, according to the affidavit: work gloves, lighters, Vaseline, assorted keys including those stolen in the robberies, a key fob, a black multitool, $1,005 in cash, a bank card belonging to Eddy, a black matte butterfly knife and four cell phones.

After his arrest, Funderburk was taken to the Strafford County Jail in New Hampshire. Detainment room surveillance footage revealed Funderburk, while alone, took two keys from an assorted pile on the table which had been found during his initial search. The affidavit says the video appeared to show Funderburk put the keys he took down the back of his pants, according to the affidavit. A strip search did not reveal the whereabouts of the keys, however, when Funderburk was given a cavity search, officers found the two postal keys in a body cavity.

Co-conspirator Eddy was arrested and waved Miranda rights to tell police the two suspects were allowed to use the Mustang and Jeep. Police did not provide a last name or any other information on Eddy.

Lewiston, Paris, Rumford and Monmouth police, along with postal inspectors, have been involved in the investigation, according to Spera.

Federal prison terms can be as high as 25 years for armed robbery of a postal employee or post office.

Rumford Falls Times Editor Bruce Farrin and Sun Journal staff writer Steve Sherlock contributed to this report.

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