Snowmobile thief skates on thin ice

A 34‑year‑old Robbinston man skated on thin ice in more ways than one in the wee hours of January 4. At 2:20 a.m., the Charlotte Fire and Rescue Department was called to an emergency at Round Pond. Partially submerged in broken ice and water near the bridge over the stream between Round Pond and Pennamaquan Lake was a pick‑up truck with a trailer and two snowmobiles, with the truck's driver, Peter Garland, standing on the cab awaiting rescue.
Charlotte Fire and Rescue Department Chief Dana Hatton says that, from what he could tell, "his truck left the highway and went on to Round Pond in an unusual spot." It's not a place that drivers usually use to cross the ice, he adds. Garland continued onto a dry spot, then on the ice for some distance next to the shoreline before coming to thin ice, where his truck broke through. Garland's intentions are not known, but it turns out that the trailer and its cargo of two snowmobiles, also partially submerged in the icy water, were stolen, says State Trooper Chad Lindsey.
Ladders were extended to reach the truck, as the ice was checked for safety, and Garland was brought to shore. Hatton says, "The driver led us to believe that he had a passenger or two, so we spent considerable time and resources searching for them, including putting the two [searchers] into the water." The search team not only checked the shoreline area around the crash site, but two specialists from the Calais Fire Department donned wetsuits and searched the truck cab environment. All search efforts came up empty handed.
Trooper Lindsey arrested Garland for operating under the influence of drugs, being a habitual offender and operating after having his license revoked. Garland also was summonsed for possession of a Schedule IV drug, Xanax. In addition, the Robbinston man was charged with the theft of the trailer and snowmobiles. Lindsey notes that Garland drove about 200 feet on the lake, but whether he actually knew he was on the lake or not wasn't clear.
Theodore Ackley and his wife Myrtle of Meddybemps own the trailer and snowmobiles and are glad to have them back. "We saw they were missing about six o'clock in the evening or so, and a friend of mine called and said he'd heard that they were our sleds." The Ackleys may have them back, but the snowmobiles will have to go to a service station and be "gone over completely." There's no knowing yet what the water might have done to them, Ackley acknowledges, and he ruefully discusses the new batteries and service work done just last year. The couple is hoping that at least some of their homeowner's insurance will cover the cost of the service and the towing fees to get the equipment out of Round Pond and back to their home.
Assisting Trooper Lindsey at the scene were Detective Jason Fowler, the Charlotte Fire and Rescue Department, Calais Fire Department and Downeast EMS ambulance.