WATERVILLE — A Waterville man was arrested early Thursday after police found him hiding under a clothes rack inside Ken-A-Set thrift shop, according to Deputy police Chief Charles Rumsey.
Police also are investigating burglaries at the nearby Waterville Main Street office and at Uptown Style salon, Rumsey said Thursday.
Jason Hight, 26, allegedly broke a window in the basement of the Ken-A-Set building at 1 College Avenue, to get inside, Rumsey said.
 He said police got a call at 12:30 a.m. from an on-duty firefighter who saw a person with a crow bar in his hand, pounding on the Ken-A-Set building.
The building is separated from the Fire Department by an alley way.
“Then the firefighter heard the sound of breaking glass,” Rumsey said.
Police arrived moments later and Sgt. Alden Weigelt shone a spotlight inside of the thrift shop and saw a man there, he said.
“Officers attempted to establish verbal contact through the glass door, telling him to exit the building, which he refused to do,” Rumsey said. “Several of the officers entered the building through the broken window, let other officers in through the front door and after searching the building, located Jason Hight hiding under a clothes rack on the sales floor.”
Hight also apparently had broken into an office inside the thrift shop, he said. He was found with a crow bar and screwdriver when officers found him, according to Rumsey.
Hight was arrested and charged with one count of Class C felony burglary and one count of Class D misdemeanor criminal mischief, he said. He was unable to make $2,000 cash bail and was taken to Kennebec County Jail in Augusta. He is scheduled to appear Feb. 26 in Kennebec County Superior Court there, Rumsey said.
Hight faces up to a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison on the felony charge, according to Rumsey.
Meanwhile, police early Thursday also summonsed Hight with attempted burglary and criminal mischief for trying to break into Ken-A-Set on Sunday, Rumsey said. For that, Hight was charged with Class D misdemeanor attempted burglary, he said. The criminal mischief charge was for allegedly damaging a window trying to get into the building, he said.
After arresting Hight, police checked the area to see if other burglaries had occurred and found broken glass in a back door of the Waterville Main St. office at 177 Main St., Rumsey said. Someone also got into Uptown Style at 189 Main St. through a rear door of the salon, he said. Both offices were ransacked and police Thursday were trying to determine if anything was taken, he said.

Amy Calder — 861-9247
acalder@centralmaine.com