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Police have formally charged three suspects in connection with the Oct. 22 vandalization of at least 12 vehicles in an Orchard Trails apartment complex.
According to Sgt. Scott Wilcox of the Orono Police Department, Mario Villani, 22; Raymond Vallee, 22; and Jonathan Merrill, 23, have all confessed to the vehicle damage, which included smashing car windows with wooden posts, a rubber mallet and several bicycles.
Villani and Vallee have been charged with criminal mischief, a Class D crime, while Merrill was charged with aggravated criminal mischief, which is a Class C felony. Sgt. Wilcox said Merrill may also be charged with falsifying physical evidence, a Class D crime, for allegedly destroying a rubber mallet used to break car windows.
Only Merrill is a resident of Orchard Trails. Vallee is a University of Maine student, and Villani was a friend visiting from Portland. The three had attended a party in Orchard Trails Building 5 and were heading back to Building 3 where Merrill lived. All three were intoxicated, according to police.
Then, between 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., the three allegedly attacked several cars in the parking lot between Buildings 3 and 4. Sgt. Wilcox said police still don’t have a final estimate for the amount of damage done, but he said he’s confident that it’s “well over” the $2000 required by Maine law to constitute aggravated criminal mischief.
Officers questioned the three suspects on the night of the crime. Based on statements by one of the suspects, the police began to investigate them further.
The complex will hold an open meeting for all residents to discuss the incident today at 3:30 p.m. Jason Malcolm, an Orchard Trails resident and third-year UMaine student studying history and anthropology, said the meeting and the hiring of a security guard are signs that Orchard Trails is addressing the problem.
Malcolm also said that his bicycle disappeared on the night of the crimes. The bike had been locked to a light post in front of his building. Police recovered three bicycles on Sunday morning and fingerprinted them before allowing their owners to come and identify them.
Wilcox said there may be additional charges for the bicycle thefts. Police are still sorting out which crimes will be attributed to the three suspects.
Malcolm’s bicycle lock was also missing, and he still hasn’t recovered his bike. “I’m not too optimistic about it,” he admitted, “but you never know.”
“I thought they should have had some kind of cameras out there before,” Malcolm added. “Because even though it is technically an apartment place, it’s still kind of like a community with college kids. So you’d expect something would happen and be prepared beforehand.”
Orchard Trails area manager James Goodson was not available for comment.
Villani and Vallee are scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 30, while Merrill faces a court date of Jan. 12 for the Class C charge. If convicted of aggravated criminal mischief, Merrill could face up to five years in prison.
The complex will hold an open meeting for all residents to discuss the incident today at 3:30 p.m. Said Malcolm, “At least they’re doing something positive about it.”
Bangor Daily News