WATERVILLE — Peter Corson allegedly took a stolen $400 gift certificate to Mirakuya Steak House at JFK Plaza on March 29, tried to make a small purchase and asked for the balance to be cash back, police said.
That led to a warrant for his arrest and an armed police response Thursday at about noon. Officers surrounded an apartment building on 12 Spring St., knocked on the door, and with guns drawn ordered Corson outside.
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A few minutes later, Corson, 48, emerged from the building and officers placed him in handcuffs and put him in the back of a cruiser.
Police arrested him on a warrant for class C felony for receiving stolen property, according to Deputy Chief Charles Rumsey of the Waterville Police Department.
“The charge is a class C felony because Mr. Corson has nine prior burglary and theft convictions and he will be held with no bail until he sees a judge,” Rumsey said.
The $400 gift certificate was among items stolen during a burglary at a residence on Park Street on March 26, according to Rumsey.
“He sold the gift certificate to another person, our detectives followed up on the case and eventually seized it,” he said. “The connection between Corson, the gift certificate and the burglary is still under investigation; no one has been charged with the burglary yet.”
Detective Joshua Woods, who was at the scene Thursday on Spring Street, investigated the Park Street burglary and had been looking for Corson since then, Rumsey said.
At the scene Thursday, police walked around the small Spring Street building, which has a glass door and large glass windows facing the street. The building is on the south side of the street and is adjacent to a building that borders both Spring and Elm streets.
Pedestrians and motorists on the busy street slowed down or stopped to watch the goings-on. People across the street at Goodwill Industries on The Concourse also watched.
Police on Thursday also searched the Spring Street building because a man who lives there is on probation and has certain conditions he must follow, according to Rumsey. Officers found some drug paraphernalia and prescription medication in the building, but no one was charged.
Corson gave police an address of 220 Peavey St., Clinton, but it is not clear if he actually lives there, according to Rumsey. The Spring Street building has two apartments — one upstairs and one down, and police believe Corson had been staying in the downstairs apartment recently, he said.
A court date for Corson has been set for June 10 in Kennebec County Superior Court in Augusta, but he is likely to see a judge before then.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
acalder@centralmaine.com Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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