An Auburn man was in custody Sunday after a string of armed robberies at southern Maine churches, according to officials.
The Maine State Police identified the suspect as Connor McGlone, 27, who formerly lived in New Hampshire.
Police said McGlone faces two counts of robbery and is expected to face additional charges.
In a statement to the news media, the state police said a woman called 911 just after 10 a.m. Sunday to report that a man had threatened to kill her in the parking lot of a Parsonsfield church.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said in a separate media announcement that a male suspect had asked people in the parking lot for money and pointed a gun at them.
About 20 minutes later, a state police sergeant was flagged down by a man who reported that the suspect had pulled a gun on him and demanded his wallet in the parking lot at a church in Cornish.
Just after 11:15 a.m. Sunday, the suspect entered a church in Baldwin, took money from the collection plate and grabbed a woman’s purse before fleeing, state police said.
A few minutes before noon, Cumberland County sheriff’s deputies located a car matching the description of the suspect’s. As officers approached the car, the driver sped off and intentionally swerved at other vehicles during the pursuit, state police said. Police also said the driver brandished a gun during the chase.
Eventually, the driver veered off the road, plowed through a fence and drove through a field in Bridgton, before police were able to stop his vehicle, the Sheriff’s Office said. The man, whom police identified as McGlone, then jumped out of the car and ran into the woods, where he was caught.
McGlone was taken to Bridgton Hospital and was expected to be booked into the York County Jail in Alfred, state police said.
In addition to the two robbery charges, the state police said McGlone had three active warrants in York and Oxford counties for robbery, felony theft and probation violations related to a prior robbery charge.
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