LEBANON — Two suspects who are alleged to have stolen a vehicle in New Hampshire and then dumping it and stealing another in Maine were arrested Saturday.

Both Steven Thornton, 34, of Berwick and Thomas Young, 35,  of Wakefield, New Hampshire face charges in both states, Maine State Police say.

On Friday, Maine State Police received a report of a Honda CRV stolen from a residence on New Bridge Road in Lebanon. According to troopers, the Honda owners had left their keys in the center console, as they have never had an issue and believed their neighborhood was safe.

Maine State Police put out word to all local agencies in the event that the vehicle was seen or stopped. 

On that same day, a van was stolen from Rochester, New Hampshire and was found abandoned in the woods about one-quarter of a mile from where the Honda CRV was stolen. Property from inside a vehicle was thrown into the woods nearby.

Rochester Police responded to the Maine location and told troopers that the property strewn around the van stemmed from a burglary in their community.

The victims of that Rochester burglary, an elderly couple, had all of their belongings, including an itinerary and cash, were packed in the van and they were leaving to go on vacation to Alaska that morning. 

Maine State Police in a social media posting said the Rochester couple’s home was burglarized in the early morning hours and all of their luggage was stolen. 

Police say the suspects stole the van and drove it to Lebanon and dumped the vehicle and the luggage in the woods.

Then, police theorized, the suspects walked a short distance down the road and stole the Honda CRV.

At about 11:30 p.m. Friday night, Rochester Police located the Honda CRV along with two male suspects in their community.  A foot chase ensued and both men were taken into custody and taken to Strafford County Jail.

The next day, a trooper met with the victims of the vehicle stolen from Lebanon and determined that numerous items had been stolen from it.

Police learned that the two suspects had been staying at a motel in Rochester. 

Troopers worked with Rochester Police and drafted a search warrant for the motel room.

The search warrant was executed Saturday night. Police say property stolen from vehicle — along with multiple burglaries in Rochester, was found.

Thornton and Young were charged with felony counts receiving stolen property. Maine State Police said additional charges are likely to be added by both prosecuting states.

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