Mon, 03/06/2017 - 9:45am

Sarah Shepherd

ROCKLAND — A St. George man was sentenced to prison for his involvement in the intentional sinking of a lobster boat over a trap dispute in Tenants Harbor in September 2016.

Vincent Hilt, 22, pleaded guilty March 2 in Knox County Unified Court to felony charges of aggravated criminal mischief and felony theft. He was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison and must also pay $16, 267 in restitution.

Hilt had probation violations for two prior theft convictions in 2014. At his sentencing hearing, he was also fined $250 for operating a vehicle while his license was suspended or revoked in 2016.

Another person who was involved in the lobster boat sinking, Devlin Meklin, 21, of Warren, pleaded guilty Jan. 26 to aggravated criminal mischief and theft. Meklin was sentenced in Knox County Unified Court to two years in jail with all but three months suspended. He will also serve two years of probation following his release and must pay $16, 267 in restitution.

A third person, Alan Norwood, 47, of Tenants Harbor, was arrested in September in connection with the intentional sinking of the lobster boat. Norwood was charged by the Maine Marine Patrol with aggravated criminal mischief for allegedly paying Hilt $500 to sink the lobster boat. He will appear in Knox County Unified Court May 17.

According to the affidavit filed by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, a 36-foot lobster boat, Oracle, owned by Joshua Hupper sank in the early morning hours of Sept. 1, while it was moored in Tenants Harbor. The estimated damage to the boat is $50,000, which includes the motor gear, wiring and all of the on board electronic equipment.

Hilt and Meklin were identified by two witnesses they encountered on Mouse Island, located less than 200 yards from where Hupper’s boat was intentionally sunk. They had returned there later in the morning on Sept. 1 to retrieve the skiff they had stolen for transportation to the lobster boat, according to the court documents.

The witnesses identified Hilt and Meklin, in a photo lineup provided by police, as the two men they saw on Mouse Island.

Police located Hilt at his parents’ home in St. George. He admitted to police that he was approached by another lobsterman, later identified as Norwood, and was offered $500 to sink Hupper’s boat. He said the lobsterman had a dispute with Hupper about traps.

According to the affidavit, Hilt said that he contacted Meklin and they stole a skiff from a float at Wildcat Lobster in Tenants Harbor and motored out to the lobster boat, got on board, removed the engine cover box and cut the intake lines.

Meklin told police that he heard the water rushing in the boat afterwards.

After they left the lobster boat, they headed toward Mouse Island, where they grounded the skiff and left it. Hilt told police that they walked back to Meklin’s parked vehicle and left the area, according to the court documents.

When the men returned to Mouse Island to tow the stolen skiff out of the harbor, they removed the outboard motor and threw it overboard and cut it loose. The motor in the skiff they were operating failed so a passing fisherman towed them back to shore before they were apprehended by police.

The investigating officers for the case were Deputy John Hansen of the Knox County Sherriff’s Office and Brandon Bezio of the Maine Marine Patrol.

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com

http://www.penbaypilot.com/article/third-man-arrested-charged-connection-tenants-harbor-lobster-boat-sinking-case