By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

South Portland police officers and homeowners breathed a sigh of relief this week after dealing with frequent residential robberies and vehicle vandalisms for more than a month. 

“Over a one week period we had upwards of 20 burglaries,” Police Lt. Frank Clark said. “That’s not real good.”

Clark said criminals generally strike while homeowners are not home, but the criminals behind the crime spree that began in early July in South Portland’s Pleasantdale neighborhood and eventually spread to Redbank, Brickhill, Liberty Common and the Cortland Courts sections of the city – inspiring the department to issue two City Watch alerts – were more “brazen” than most. 

“We’ve had sprees in the past, but what was most concerning about this was not only the quantity but the style,” he said.

Many residents reported the burglaries occurring while they were asleep at night, increasing the chance of a potentially dangerous confrontation, Clark said. 

The streets of the city have been much quieter since police arrested 18-year-old South Portland resident Kenneth Dubuc, who was charged with one count of residential burglary and receiving stolen property last week, “putting a handle” on the sharp increase in residential burglary this year, Clark said. He said police have also been able to return much of the stolen property found at Dubuc’s residence and another location in Westbrook. 

Some of the property – which Clark estimated to be valued in the thousands – discovered at both locations was reported stolen from vehicles. Clark said police have also seen a decline in a recent bout of vehicle vandalisms since Dubuc’s arrest.

“These guys were doing both,” he said. 

Clark said other suspects were interviewed but no additional charges related to the string of burglaries being attributed to Dubuc were issued as of press time Tuesday. 

“We believe some were more involved than others,” he said, adding that the police were hoping to complete the investigation by the end of the month.

University of Maine Sociology Chairman Steven Barkan said while it is not uncommon for people Dubuc’s age to commit crimes, they rarely keep the illegal activity a secret from friends or family. 

“We have found that peer pressure can also play a large role and people who commit crimes are more likely to have friends who also commit crimes,” he said.

People between the ages of 17 and 23 are motivated to break the law for a number of different reasons, Barkan said. 

“Sometimes it’s the excitement and the adventure,” he said. “Oftentimes they don’t have jobs, aren’t married and don’t have money.”

Barkan said spikes in crime, such as the one that occurred during the last few months in South Portland, can be disturbing but do not necessarily indicate an overall increase in the crime rate. 

“You can’t really put too much stock in one-year differences,” he said. “You have to consider that these are only reported crimes; a lot happens that we don’t know about. It’s tempting to ask ‘What’s going on,’ but it’s not unusual to see an ebb and flow.”

Clark said Dubuc’s case could be before the grand jury as early as September. Barkan said it would “be reasonable to assume” a court could not pursue the case to the full extent of the law based on Dubuc’s age and his status as a first time offender.

“Let’s put it this way: it’s his first offense as an adult,” Clark said.