It was bad enough that he trashed and burned a laundromat business in Bangor, but then he managed to smash his way free of the back end of a squad car and escape on foot, eluding multiple police agencies in the process.
Bangor Police and other authorities are working to track down 21 year old Dominick Wheeler, who is wanted on multiple charges following his crime spree which began when he apparently stole a fire extinguisher from the truck of a tree trimming agency and used it to smash his way into the Ms. Laundry Mat at 107 E. Monroe in Bangor last night.
Once inside the coin-operated laundry business, destroyed a number of the machines as well as several vending machines trying to get at the money in each of them. He then apparently set a fire at the back of the laundromat building before working to get out.
Authorities caught up with Wheeler inside the building and corralled him into the back seat of a squad car as they continued to fight the fire and continue their investigation. It was while he was left to his own devices that he managed to kick his way free from the cage separating the locked back of the squad car from the driver’s compartment and jump free from the police car.
Bangor Police Chief Tommy Simpson says Wheeler was also wanted for several outstanding warrants, but they were reportedly not for any serious incidents and were said to be of a non-violent nature.
Half a dozen different police agencies were involved in the fruitless search overnight and Wheeler reportedly remains at large. Bangor Fire Department firefighters successfully knocked down the blaze, but not before substantial damage was done inside according to Simpson’s report.
Anybody with information on Wheeler’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Bangor Police Department at 269-657-3101.
