Police have arrested a Topsham man and charged him with multiple crimes after tracking him to Cundy’s Harbor following an alleged burglary and theft of guns and ammunition from a Brunswick home.
Christopher James Tucker, 33, was arrested late Sunday, May 5, on charges of burglary, theft, illegal possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a scheduled drug, violating prior bail conditions, and refusing to submit to an arrest, according to court records.
A written report by Brunswick patrol officer Adam Merrill said Brunswick police responded to a suspicious activity complaint just before 6 p.m. Sunday in a Brunswick neighborhood near the bridge to Great Island. The resident who called police said they had witnessed a man coming out from behind a neighbor’s home.
When the resident confronted him, the man claimed “he was getting tools but had no tools in hand,” according to Merrill.
The resident told the man they were calling the police, which prompted him to get into a black Chevrolet truck and drive away, Merrill wrote, but not before the resident got the vehicle’s license plate number.
Brunswick police later clarified that it was only a partial plate number, but still enough to connect the vehicle to Tucker, who is well known to local police.
According to Merrill, multiple police vehicles arrived at the Brunswick home, where they discovered an open door. “Inside, they noticed hundreds of rounds of ammunition on the ground and firearms that appeared to be missing as well,” he wrote.
Police contacted the homeowner and were able to determine that several firearms had gone missing, including “multiple rifles and pistols likely stolen,” Merrill wrote.
Searching the surrounding area, police determined that the suspect must have fled into Harpswell via Gurnet Road, also known as State Route 24, and then turned down Cundy’s Harbor Road, according to Merrill.
“(Brunswick patrol officer Joshua Bernier) advised many rifles, a shotgun, and handguns were suspected to be stolen, and the suspect should be considered armed and dangerous,” Merrill wrote in his report.
Police then issued a shelter-in-place alert via robocalls to area homes, according to Cundy’s Harbor residents. Shortly afterward, police found the vehicle at the end of Cundy’s Harbor Road, near Holbrook’s Lobster Wharf.
“I could hear the engine revving, but the truck wasn’t moving,” Merrill wrote. “I assumed it was not able to drive anymore.”
Merrill said he drew his firearm, approached the truck, and ordered Tucker to put his hands out the window, at which point Tucker opened the door and got out of the truck. Merrill said he recognized Tucker from previous interactions.
“I gave him many orders to keep his hands in the air and walk back towards me. I pointed my firearm at him,” Merrill wrote.
But Tucker refused, according to Merrill. Instead, he removed his boots and said, “I’m just going to run,” and then took off heading south on Cundy’s Harbor Road, the officer wrote.
Merrill said he got back into his police vehicle and attempted to catch Tucker, who fled on foot through a field, up an embankment and onto a peninsula at the end of Cundy’s Harbor Road. At that point, Tucker was essentially trapped, the officer wrote.
The time was now around 7 p.m., and three other patrol officers had arrived, along with a police dog that was used to track Tucker, Merrill wrote. Police found “multiple firearms” inside Tucker’s truck, he added.
Just before 8 p.m., police received a burglary call at a home on East Cundy’s Point Road, according to Merrill. “We rushed to that residence, as did multiple Cumberland County (Sheriff’s Office) deputies,” he wrote.
Merrill said Tucker was spotted running toward the water and refused to stop. He went to the water’s edge and entered the ocean, eventually swimming to a small rock pile, Merrill wrote.
At that point, police attempted to negotiate with Tucker but he refused, according to Merrill. “Chris made statements about wanting to die rather than go to jail,” the officer wrote.
Tucker also acknowledged that there were multiple firearms in his truck but said “(they’re) not mine,” according to Merrill.
“After some time, Chris reluctantly swam to shore and was taken into custody,” Merrill wrote.
In his account of the incident, Bernier wrote that he entered the black truck at Tucker’s request to recover some personal items and found “several needles, crack pipes, powder, rocks and other drug items” in a black box on the truck’s center console.
At that point, Tucker was transported to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, where “his feet were treated for several open wounds from running in the woods and on the rocks,” Bernier wrote.
Police drone footage appeared to show that Tucker had tossed a firearm into the water, the officer wrote, but Tucker denied having done so. Bernier told Tucker that police planned to send a dive team to recover the weapon, which he said made Tucker angry.
Tucker was later discharged from the hospital and transferred to Cumberland County Jail in Portland. He was arraigned Monday in Cumberland County District Court in Portland. Further hearings had yet to be scheduled as of Tuesday, May 7.
Tucker faces charges ranging in severity from a Class E misdemeanor to multiple Class B felonies, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if he is convicted.
According to police, Tucker has multiple prior arrests and convictions for burglary, possession of illegal drugs, criminal mischief and domestic violence.
“Tucker is on six sets of bail for multiple charges,” Bernier wrote in his report. As a result, he is ineligible for bail in connection with Sunday’s arrest.
Have a comment or news tip? Email J. Craig Anderson at craig@harpswellanchor.org.
