Shoplifting spree suspect nabbed

BAR HARBOR — A New Hampshire woman who allegedly shoplifted more than $1,000 in merchandise from at least five different stores was arrested Oct. 6 after a store manager became suspicious of her actions.

Tracy Blanchard, 46, of Bartlett, N.H., was arrested by Bar Harbor police and charged with theft. She was booked into the Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth and later released on bail.

According to Lt. David Kerns, Blanchard raised the concern of the manager of Cadillac Mountain Sports while she was in the store. After she left, the manager checked the dressing room she used and found security tags that had been taken off merchandise. He phoned police and began to follow her.

“She figured out she was being followed and went into a restroom in Agamont Park,” Kerns said.

Police were waiting for her when she came out. The items taken from Cadillac Mountain Sports were located inside the facility, Kerns said.

Police then went to Blanchard’s vehicle, which was parked nearby. Through a window, they saw other items believed to have been stolen, and they impounded the vehicle. Initially, police were going to obtain a warrant, but Blanchard, after making bail, gave them consent to search the vehicle, Kerns said.

Inside the vehicle were other items believed to have been taken from stores in Bar Harbor. The list includes clothing, shoes, headlamps, binoculars, non-prescription medications, books and toys.

As of Wednesday, police were still tallying the total value of the items taken and determining which stores they came from. The total is expected to top $1,000 and came from five or more stores, Kerns said.

Blanchard has been charged with Class D theft, a misdemeanor, but Kerns said he expects the charge to be elevated to the felony level due to the dollar amount of the items taken.

Blanchard’s vehicle was released to her, and she is believed to be back in New Hampshire, Kerns said.