Maine Man Allegedly Stole 2 Crates of Lobsters from a Dock

A Union man is facing felony charges for allegedly stealing two crates of lobster from a dock in Tenant's Harbor.

Maine Man Faces Felony Charges for Allegedly Stealing $2K in Lobsters

Charles Collins, 46, of Union is charges with unauthorized taking or transfer. The charge was elevated to a felony because the value of the lobsters exceeded $1,000.

Collins' bail was set at $2,500 unsecured, with a condition that he is not within 100 yards of any commercial fishing dock or possess live lobsters unless lawfully licensed.

Approximately $2,000 worth of lobsters packed in crates were stolen from Art's Lobster Dock in Tenant's Harbor on March 24th.

Union, Maine Man Suspected in a Second Theft of Lobsters in Bremen

According to the PenBay Pilot, there was a similar theft in Bremen the previous week that's currently under investigation by the Maine Marine Patrol.

Officials say videos of the incidents in Tenant's Harbor and Bremen both allegedly show the same silver van was used.

The license plate was visible in the Bremen video, but not in the Tenant's Harbor video.

A man and woman were visible in the later, however, with their faces shielded from the camera. They were seen pulling two crates of lobster onto a float and then using a metal hook to pull them up onto the dock, before loading them into the van.

Maine Suspect in Tenants Harbor Lobster Thefts Caught After Being Stopped by Police

The silver van, with Collins and the lobster inside, was stopped by the police for a traffic violation that same night, but officers let him go because they were unaware of the theft.

An arrest warrant was issued for Collins once the video was viewed by police, who realized he was wearing the same clothes during the traffic stop.

We'll update this story as more details become available.