ELLSWORTH —Ellsworth Police arrested two Belfast men in connection with 16 burglaries that reportedly occurred in the last year, according to a news release.

Ellsworth Police said that following an eight-month joint investigation into burglaries occurring in Hancock County, they, along with help from the Hancock County Sheriff Office and Maine State Police, searched the residence of Anthony Knight, on Patterson Hill Road in Belfast.

“As a result of the search warrant, approximately $200,000 in stolen property was recovered,” the report said.

Recovered items included power tools, utility trailers, snowmobiles, snowplows, tires, a motor vehicle and approximately 62 grams of suspected methamphetamine, prescription medication and approximately $3,000 in suspected drug proceeds.

On August 2, police returned to the Knight residence to conduct a second warrant after receiving further information on more stolen items at the residence, the release said.

Police subsequently arrested Anthony Knight, 56, of Belfast and Robert Larrabee, 44, of Belfast, and charged with Theft Class C un authorized taking. Larrabee and Knight were booked into the Hancock County Jail and have since been released on bail, the news release said.

The investigation remains underway, the release said.

Additionally, police said, the following departments recovered items linked to 15 active burglary investigations in Hancock, Penobscot and Waldo counties:

Ellsworth Police Department, two
Hancock Count Sheriffs Office, seven
Maine State Police, four
Belfast Police Department, one
Searsport Police Department, one
Penobscot County Sheriffs Office, one

Other agencies and departments assisting in the investigation were the Belfast Police Department, Searsport Police Department, Penobscot County Sheriffs Office, Waldo County Sheriffs Office and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

For additional information involving these cases, contact Deputy Chief Troy Bires, of the Ellsworth Police Department, 667-2168, or Lt. Corey Bagley of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, 667-7575.