An alleged fraudulent theft attempt at a Houlton bank on Friday sparked a police pursuit, with suspects fleeing into Canada until they were arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
[RELATED: Houlton to Remove Surveillance Cameras, Destroy Data Under Settlement Agreement…]
At around 4:39 p.m., Houlton Police Officer Sera Smalley responded to the Katahdin Trust Bank at 65 North Street after receiving reports that someone had attempted to use a fake passport to fraudulently steal.
Smalley approached the bank on foot and saw a woman exiting the bank and walking swiftly on North Street.
Bank employees informed Smalley that the woman she had just observed exiting the bank was allegedly the person involved in the attempted fraudulent theft and suggested that other branches of the bank might also have been involved.
While exiting the bank, Smalley observed the suspect running toward a light blue Chevrolet in the parking lot of the Cigarette Shopper, which the suspect then entered.
The vehicle exited the parking lot and began traveling north on North Street.
Smalley activated her cruiser’s lights and attempted to stop the Chevrolet.
Instead of stopping, the vehicle’s driver allegedly fled and entered I-95, traveling eastbound.
During the ensuing pursuit, Smalley noticed that the Chevrolet was registered in New York, but was unable to read the license plate number.
The vehicle then fled across the Canadian border through a port of entry, and Smalley terminated the pursuit, following procedure.
Across the border, the RCMP took up the search for the vehicle, while Smalley gathered evidence from the port of entry and returned to the bank to collect further information there.
Hours later, at approximately 7:15 p.m., Canadian authorities alerted the Houlton police that they had apprehended two suspects: Rachael Kennedy, 37, of Kansas, and Rashidah Henry, 31, of Georgia.
Canadian authorities transferred the suspects across the border into the custody of the Houlton Police Department, and they were transported to the Aroostook County Jail.
Both suspects were subject to outstanding arrest warrants from their respective home states on charges related to fraud and theft.
The Maine State Police are assisting in an ongoing investigation that also involves other similar incidents.
Kennedy faces charges of forgery and criminal attempted theft and was issued a $7,000 bail to be followed by 24/7 monitoring under house arrest.
Henry faces charges of eluding an officer, criminal conspiracy, driving to endanger, and operating without a license. She was issued a $5,000 bail to be followed by 24/7 monitoring under house arrest.
