Two men are facing charges in connection with a string of Walmart thefts. The crimes were tied together after one of the suspects fled from police.

Waterville Police Chief Charles Rumsey said in a press release that officers responded to a report of a stolen computer at Walmart. The suspect had run from loss prevention officers and took off in a green Kia SUV with Florida plates. A few minutes later, another officer saw the Kia on I-95 and attempted to pull it over.The driver initially refused to stop, but finally pulled over,. At that point, the driver, who was later identified as 50-year-old Gerald Wotton of Augusta, jumped out of the SUV and ran into the woods.

A passenger in the vehicle, 43-year-old Travis Young of Lewiston, was taken into custody when the stolen HP computer, valued at $649, was found in the car. A K-9 unit was used to try and track Wotton, but with no success.

Waterville Police launched an investigation into the vehicle and learned that it was registered in Florida to Young's recently deceased mother. They also learned that not only had the vehicle been involved in a similar theft in Waterville three days earlier, but also in Auburn for the same crime.

Travis Young is charged with two counts of Class D Misdemeanor Theft for the cases in Waterville. Charges in Auburn may be pending.

A check of Gerald Wotton's criminal history revealed that he had at least 8 theft convictions, with 7 of those stemming from incidents in the last two years. He's charged with Theft, Operating After Suspension, Failure to Stop for Police, and Violation of Conditions of Release. At the time of the thefts, he was out on bail for similar behavior in Augusta. Wotton turned himself in to the Waterville Police Department.

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