DIXFIELD — A 17-year-old local boy was charged with burglary involving firearms Monday on Averill Road, according to Police Chief Jeff Howe.

In an email report, Howe said he was just coming into his shift Monday morning when he was advised by Sgt. Ronald Wood that he was handling an unattended death at 76 Averill Road.

The chief responded and assisted, but there was nothing suspicious at the scene.

“(The) family was notified and the decedent’s sister advised to close the door and she would be right over to secure the firearms in the home,” Howe wrote. “It appears that she did come and get some of them and upon returning a second time, she found the front door open and other firearms had been taken out of their hard cases and set up by the front door (two shotguns) and a revolver had also been set out nearby, apparently in preparation from an unknown person to remove them.”

Howe said the woman called the station to report her findings and he responded a second time to 76 Averill Road, where the woman and a friend had remained at the scene following the call to police.

The chief said he swept the house, coming to the conclusion that the woman likely interrupted a burglary in progress.

“I found the rear bedroom window smashed out where a subject had fled and footprints in the snow fleeing the scene,” he said.

Howe had the people leave the scene while securing the revolver. He contacted the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for an available K-9 “as the track was obviously fresh.”

Howe said Maine State Police also responded because it was unknown whether firearms were obtained in the burglary.

He said K-9 officer Judge and his handler, Franklin County Deputy Derrick Doucette, followed the tracks to 135 Averill Road.

From there, Howe said, he initiated a “knock and talk” and the end result was the arrest of the 17-year-old.

He said the juvenile, charged with burglary, was taken to the Dixfield Police Station and after discussion with the on-call Juvenile Community Corrections Officer, the boy was released on house arrest to his parents. The teen was not identified because he is a minor.

He has a Rumford Court date of Jan. 7, 2019.

bfarrin@sunmediagroup.net