PARIS — A Brownfield man appeared in Oxford County Superior Court on Wednesday on charges of stealing and destroying four cars last week and had his case continued to September. 

Derek Foster, 23, was arrested Monday evening in Brownfield by the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office on one charge of arson, one charge of burglary and five charges of theft. 

The maximum prison sentence for arson is 30 years; burglary, 10 years; and theft, five years.

Foster is being held at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland on $5,000 bail, an Oxford County Jail officer said Wednesday night.

According to an affidavit by Oxford County sheriff’s Lt. Tom Harriman, Foster and two teenage boys from Brownfield stole four vehicles on April 30 and destroyed three.

The crime spree, as told to Harriman by one of the boys after he was read his rights, began late last Thursday when the trio rode their bikes to Fryeburg, drank alcohol and started looking for cars to steal. The first was a 2006 Scion stolen from Den’s Automotive Services.

According to the teen’s account to Harriman, the three drove to Brownfield, stole a 1995 Toyota Camry and drove through the town transfer station gate and crashed into a stack of televisions.

They drove the Scion to Hiram where Foster drove it to an embankment and jumped out before the car went into the Saco River. The three drove back to Brownfield and stole a 2000 Jeep Cherokee and drove it into a ditch on Dugway Road. 

Harriman’s affidavit said the three drove to a Brownfield residence and stole two ATVs from a garage. One wouldn’t start and was ditched 50 yards from the home and the other Foster flipped on Plantation Road. Nearby, Foster stole a 2009 Subaru and the three returned to the Saco River embankment and drove the Toyota Camry into the Saco River. 

The three took the Subaru back to Brownfield, where it got stuck and was set on fire. Afterward, they retrieved their bikes and returned to their homes, Harrison said. 

All the stolen vehicles were unlocked with the key in the ignition, according to Oxford County sheriff’s Cpl. Justin Brown.

On Sunday, the Scion, Toyota and Subaru were recovered. The total loss was estimated at over $28,000. Damage to the ATV was estimated at $8,800. 

On Monday 4, Foster agreed to meet police and denied involvement, Harriman said.

The juveniles are expected to be formally charged in 9th District Court in Bridgton on Tuesday, May 12.

ccrosby@sunmediagroup.net