LEWISTON – Two men charged with robbing a downtown credit union early Friday went on a spending spree with the stolen loot before they were arrested, police said.
A police officer working on an unrelated case at an area motel spotted and chased down the suspects three hours after the 9 a.m. heist at Great Falls Regional Federal Credit Union.
Arrested were Kevin Grant, 29, and Jason Enger, 20. Police said the two men lived together at 32 Hammond St., around the corner from the credit union at 34 Bates St.
Investigators said two men walked into the credit union Friday morning shortly after the business opened.
“They gave a teller a note telling her to fill a bag full of money,” said police Sgt. Michael McGonagle.
No weapon was displayed, but police were trying to determine if one or both of the suspects were armed at the time of the robbery.
The teller complied with the demand for money, and the two men left the bank with a bag full of cash, investigators said. Police did not say how much was taken.
Witnesses in the area reported seeing two men jump into a car on Hammond Street, near where Grant and Enger lived. Police in the area were given a description of the two men – a short, black man and a tall white man seen fleeing from the area.
“We had every cop in the city looking for them,” McGonagle said.
At about noon, Lewiston police Officer William Brochu was working on another complaint in another part of the city. But he had jotted down notes from the reported robbery, and he was keeping his eyes open.
“He went into the Motel 6 on an unrelated incident, and he saw two men who fit the description,” McGonagle said.
Before Brochu could question the suspects, the pair jumped into a cab, McGonagle said. However, the officer was able to quickly determine where the cab was headed. Brochu learned the suspects were on their way to an apartment house on Howe Street, and he headed in that direction.
“The officer went to that residence, and the suspects took off out of the back of the building,” McGonagle said.
Brochu called for backup and chased the suspects down. Both were taken to the police station, questioned and arrested. Each was charged with robbery, a crime that could fetch each up to 40 years in prison.
“We did obtain confessions from each of them as well as a lot of physical evidence,” said Lewiston deputy police Chief Michael Bussiere.
Police said Grant and Enger went shopping at local stores following the robbery, buying jewelry, clothes, sneakers and other items. When they were caught, those items were recovered as well as a portion of the stolen money, investigators said.
“We’ll be able to return some, if not all, of the money to the credit union,” Bussiere said.
Detectives Brian O’Malley, Bob Morin and David Chick were working the case Friday afternoon. Police said the investigators obtained video surveillance footage from the credit union and from at least one store the suspects shopped at. They also were working with fingerprint evidence from the stolen money as well as the note passed to the teller, police said.
“This investigation involved excellent police work all around,” Bussiere said.
Grant and Enger were being held at the Androscoggin County Jail Friday night where bail was set at $25,000 each.
mlaflamme@sunjournal.com
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