Thursday, May 19, 2005

Search continues for home invader, missing K-9 dog in York

By Jason Gray and Jeremiah Rood
Democrat Staff Writers
jgray@fosters.com
jrood@fosters.com


YORK, Maine  A botched home invasion has led to two searches; one for the suspect and another for a K-9 dog enlisted to find him.

The twin searches stemmed from a call made to the police department at 11:42 a.m. on Tuesday, in which a woman reported that a man in a blue sweatshirt had entered her bedroom at the York Woods apartment complex on Route 1.

According to Police Chief Doug Bracy, local authorities responded to the woman's apartment and began searching the area near the complex and Wild Willy's restaurant. The police department enlisted the aid of Berwick Police K-9 Officer Chad Allen and his dog, Baron, a four-year-old, gray German Shepard.

Bracy said Allen became hindered in his search when he and Baron ventured into a swampy, densely grown area thick with plants, bushes and trees.

According to Sgt. Thomas Barman, the dog pulled hard enough on his 20-foot leash that he managed to break free from Allen's grip. Barman said the dog must have picked up on the suspect's scent, or what he thought was the suspect's scent, and raced away before Allen could escape the thick woods and grab his lead.

Since then, neither the suspect nor the K-9 have been found.

The York and Berwick police departments searched for the dog until the skies grew dark Tuesday night. Bracy said the dog's disappearance was not openly publicized at that point because the police had hoped to find the K-9 after only a short search.

On Wednesday morning, the York and Berwick police departments resumed the search at 10 a.m. on Route 1.

The Dover Police Department's K-9 unit, Maine State Police, and some 30 members of other New Hampshire and Massachusetts K-9 units and police departments arrived throughout the day to help in the search. The York Beach Fire Department also aided in the effort.

"A lot of the trainers know each other and train with their dogs together," said Sgt. Barman, explaining the multistate effort.

"We are treating this search just like a person search," said Ron Cooper, Maine State Game Warden for southern York County. "The dog is considered a police officer."

The game wardens are responsible for initiating searches for lost people in their respective territories. Cooper said the search for the dog could prove more difficult because, unlike humans, dogs will not necessarily follow a set pattern or direction of travel.

The police learned about several possible sightings of the dog throughout the day. They sent out a Reverse 911 phone message to homes and businesses in the York Beach, Route 1 and Cape Neddick areas, notifying as many people as possible about the search. They received one possible sighting as a result of the Reverse 911.

Bracy stated that the search could grow even more difficult if the K-9 crossed Route 1 onto Mount Agamenticus, where 10,000 acres of conservation land run throughout Eliot, Kittery, Wells, the Berwicks and Ogunquit.

"The land in this area is very thick woods and hard to track through," Bracy said. "There are thousands of acres of woods, with few homes near the mountain."

Authorities stopped their search at 5 p.m. on Wednesday after covering many miles. Barman said York police will continue to look for the dog while on patrol today, but a search like yesterday's is not likely in the works.

With the alleged home invader still at large, Barman said police are currently investigating a couple of leads.

At midnight on Wednesday, Sgt. Jeffrey Scott of the Berwick Police Department said he was unsure how Berwick would handle a search today. He said he notified Allen that Baron had not been found as of 8 p.m. Scott believes it is likely Allen will be back on the search for Baron some time on Thursday.