MIDDLETON — In a "brazen" robbery, three local men are charged with breaking into the Middleton Fire Department to steal various equipment containing metal.
Firefighters became suspicious when they heard noises and spotted someone at the rear of the fire station at 4 Lake St. around 10 p.m. Wednesday, and they called the police.
In back of the firehouse, police found a Ford pickup truck loaded with five partial rolls of wire, a fastener kit that the Fire Department uses to secure its generator, and another piece of equipment called a multitester, according to Patrolman Robert Currier.
The suspects, who were nearby, told police they were relieving themselves, but officers reviewed security tape and identified Swampscott resident Robert Brooks, 54, and Lynn brothers Steven Mower, 37, and Shane Mower, 34, as the suspects who broke into a locked rear entrance of the fire station, according to Currier.
"We presume it's for the metal," Currier said last night. "It's brazen to do it to an occupied firehouse."
The theft appears to be part of a statewide trend in thefts of gutters, pipes, wires and other metal work. On the North Shore alone in recent months, for example, two large air machines and downspouts were stolen from a Danvers gas station, a large garden urn and a plaque from the Danvers library and nearby pavilion were stolen, and people were caught ripping up rail lines in Peabody.
The three suspects in the Middleton theft are charged with breaking and entering at night to commit a felony, larceny over $250, and using a motor vehicle in the commission of a felony/larceny, according to Currier.
At the time of the theft Wednesday, four firefighters were on duty in the station, according to Currier, who said Officer Leonard Ferreira was the first to arrive on scene.
"The men were in the area of the truck, telling police they had stopped there to relieve themselves," Currier said.
The pickup truck was registered in Maine and apparently belongs to a mother of one of the suspects, Currier said.
Police have not determined how the suspects entered the locked doors of the firehouse, Currier said.
Brooks lives at 79 Stanton Ave., Swampscott; Steven Mower lives at 24 Linden St., Lynn; and Shane T. Mower lives at 26 Henry Ave., Lynn.
According to police, the suspects have "extensive criminal histories."
The men were scheduled to be arraigned yesterday in Salem District Court. Information from the arraignment was not available as of press time.
Staff writer Amanda McGregor can be reached at amcgregor@salemnews.com.
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