Maine Officials Believe a Recent String of Crimes is Connected to a Travelling Gang

We're very fortunate here in Maine to have police and public safety officials that aren't just super-dedicated to stopping crime, but are also wicked good at it. And recently, that ability has been put to the test by what is believed to be a travelling gang.

According to an article from WGME 13, police in Maine now believe that a recent string of crimes is likely connected to a gang that literally travels around the country committing illegal acts.

WGME reports that police have connected the dots between several thefts that occurred in York County, Maine earlier this month with multiple break-ins that happened in vehicles at the Waldo County YMCA in December. Maine officials say there have also been break-ins at the Waldo and Hancock YMCAs as well.

Now, the gang police believe are responsible, we've hear about being in Maine before. The Felony Lane Gang is, according to Justice.Gov,

The FLG typically is a group of thieves from Florida who travel the country and target unoccupied vehicles for “smash and grab” thefts, stealing purses and using stolen identification documents and credit cards to commit financial crimes.  When cashing stolen checks, they typically use the drive-thru lane farthest from the bank in an attempt to avoid detection. 

These crime sprees, according to law enforcement officials around the country, have been ongoing for at least the last seven years. And now, the latest known break-ins have happened here in Maine. Most recently at the York Middle School on January 12th.

York Detective Sgt. Thomas Cryan told the news station in part that,

Thieves from the gang typically steal wallets, checkbooks and identification cards in order to assume someone else’s identity and cash checks — often at banks in a different state. The gang is named after its method of cashing checks in the drive-thru lane farthest from the building of a bank to limit exposure to security cameras and bank tellers.

Police say the gang often has women cash the checks because they're able to quickly change their appearance using different jewelry, hair styles and colors and outfits, making it march harder for officials to track them down and identify them.

Another important part to mention, is that there is no history of the Felony Lane Gang ever being violent. In theory, that's a good thing, right? However, it also makes it harder to catch them in the act because, in most cases, nobody ever sees them.