ALFRED — Police have broken up a burglary ring they say was responsible for at least half-a-dozen recent break-ins at homes in Alfred, Lyman and Wells.

Maine State Police Troop A Investigator Jeremy Forbes said jewelry and electronics stolen in the break-ins was being sold to buy heroin.

Maine Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland on Friday estimated the value of the stolen items in the thousands of dollars.

Some of the jewelry has been recovered, but some, like a diamond wedding ring, has not. The jewelry that was stolen represents a lifetime of memories, McCausland said.

A sharp eyed homeowner who managed to provide a description of a vehicle following a burglary in Alfred Wednesday led to the apprehension Thursday of two of the alleged perpetrators when the vehicle was spotted at a location in Alfred. Then, two more people were taken into custody.

Charged are Brian Cerullo, 25, of Alfred, and Carleton Young, 23, Marissa Vieira, 23, and Cathy Carle, 21, all of Sanford.

Cerullo and Carle were arrested at a home in Alfred. Maine State Police later located Vieira at a home in Sanford, where she was arrested and charged with burglary and possession of heroin after a large amount of stolen jewelry and electronics were found in her room.

Young was arrested during a traffic stop in Ogunquit.

Troopers said in addition to the Alfred burglary, at least five other break-ins have taken place in Lyman and Wells, and that number is likely to increase, as owners discovered jewelry missing. Wells Police Department recovered stolen jewelry at locations in Sanford, McCausland said.

Cerullo and Young were both charged with burglary and with a probation violation for which no bail is allowed. Vieira was charged with burglary, unlawful possession of heroin, and a probation violation, also for which no bail is allowed. The trio have been held at York County Jail where they had scheduled to make their first court appearance Friday afternoon at Biddeford District Court. McCausland said the trio were on probation from previous burglary convictions. Carle was issued a summons charging burglary and violation of condition of release. She is scheduled to appear at York County Superior Court April 30.

McCausland said state police are still in possession of numerous pieces of jewelry whose owners have not been identified.

As to the wedding ring, which was stolen but not among the items recovered, it bears the inscription BDL ”“ CRD 9-15-73.

McCausland said police don’t know if it was pawned, sold on Craigslist or sold to someone who didn’t know its history.

“The family would like it back,” he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Maine State Police barracks in Alfred at 324-1150.

The arrests come two days after the York County Public Health Council met to discuss the increasing presence of heroin in York County, a presence that is, in turn, creating an increase in addictions.

The raw appetite for heroin often results in increases in crime.

“The majority of my cases are heroin related,”  Raphaelle Silver, an assistant attorney general assigned to York County drug cases, told the health council Tuesday.

She said addicts steal from their families, and rob people or burglarize homes to feed their addition.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.