Charles N. Collins, 46, was charged with theft after he allegedly stole nearly $2,000 worth of lobsters from a commercial fishing dock
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/lobsters-1-040126-459462e38a73420ab2016c3a8d2bd26f.jpg "Freshly caught lobsters rest in a crate at Harbor Fish Market in Portland on July 17, 2012.")
Credit: Tim Greenway/Portland Press Herald via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Charles N. Collins, 46, was arrested on suspicion of theft in Maine
- He is accused of stealing nearly $2,000 worth of lobsters from Art’s Lobster in Tenants Harbor on March 24
- The alleged incident was captured on video, according to authorities
A Maine man was arrested on suspicion of theft after he allegedly stole nearly $2,000 worth of lobster from a commercial fishing dock.
According to a March 27 arrest warrant affidavit filed by the Maine Marine Patrol and obtained by PEOPLE, Charles N. Collins, 46, allegedly took two crates of lobsters from Art’s Lobster in Tenants Harbor on March 24.
Per the affidavit, a Marine Patrol officer scouring through video footage supplied by the head dockworker saw a silver van pull up at the dock on the night of the alleged theft. A man and woman were allegedly seen exiting the vehicle before taking the lobster crates out of the water and then loading them into the van.
The video allegedly showed a “conspicuous black sticker below the license plate” of the van, the affidavit states, adding that while watching the footage, the officer was sent a photo of "the suspected vehicle" from another lobster theft in Bremen on March 19.
That photo showed “a clear image of the license plate and rear of the vehicle," per the affidavit.
The photo also showed “that the vehicle had a black skull sticker located just below the license plate. The vehicle model, color, and unique markings (skull sticker and roof rack) matched exactly with that of the vehicle used in the theft at Art’s Lobster," the affidavit states.
On March 26, the officer learned that a van was pulled over the evening of the Art’s Lobster theft for an unrelated traffic violation.
Officers allegedly found two crates of lobsters in the back of the van “which precisely matches what was stolen” at Tenants Harbor, per the affidavit.
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According to the affidavit, Collins was wearing “the exact same attire” as the suspect in the lobster theft at Art’s Lobster.
Collins driver’s license also “matches video footage from the Bremen and Tenants Harbor thefts which both show his graying beard and squat stature," the affidavit states.
According to the Bangor Daily News, Collins appeared in court on Monday, March 30, where his bail was set at $2,500.