PORTLAND, Maine — A gun has been recovered after it was reported missing from a vehicle in Portland last week, and a suspect is in custody.
Just after 9 a.m. on Friday, May 8, a man reported that a loaded AR-15 rifle had been stolen from his unlocked vehicle that was parked in the area of Union Street and Spring Street.
A suspect was quickly identified using surveillance cameras, and by 11:30 a.m. he was taken into custody by patrol officers. The suspect had already sold the rifle.
A statewide alert was issued to locate whoever now had the rifle and, just after 11:40 a.m. on Tuesday, he was located by a Portland officer and taken into custody.
This person who had the rifle cooperated with detectives and the rifle was found in a remote wooded location in Raymond.
Portland police said they are fortunate that the weapon was not found by a child or used in a crime of violence.
Since 2017, the department said it has taken 30 reports for firearms stolen from motor vehicles. In most of these cases the vehicle was unlocked.
Police said it is never advisable to leave a firearm in a vehicle, unless it can be secured properly, such as in a gun locker or in a locked and inaccessible trunk. They said gun locks and other suitable devices should be used to prevent the firearm from discharging and that the firearm should not be left loaded if it is unattended.
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