Richard Fortin, 34 of Standish, has been arrested in connection with the armed robbery of a pharmacy in Bridgton last month.
On Monday morning, Bridgton police – assisted by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency – took Fortin into custody at his 451 Northeast Road residence in Standish.
Bridgton Police recovered “elements of the crime” inside Fortin’s residence, but declined to describe the evidence with the case still under investigation.
This is the second arrest made in the ongoing investigation. On the night of the robbery, police arrested Darell Twitty, 36 of Buxton, on a warrant for a separate burglary in Windham that occurred the same day. Twitty was later charged as the man who robbed the Bridgton pharmacy at gunpoint and stole a substantial amount of OxyContin, a powerful prescription painkiller.
Police now believe Fortin may have assisted Twitty in the robbery. Fortin reportedly drove Twitty to the RiteAid pharmacy on Route 302 in Bridgton where the crime took place.
Around 1 p.m. on Nov. 2, Twitty allegedly entered the pharmacy, showed the pharmacist a revolver and demanded OxyContin.
Fortin told police he did not know of Twitty’s intentions.
Two hours later, Twitty allegedly broke into a Windham residence on Roosevelt Trail and stole a safe containing valuables.
Cumberland County Sheriff’s Deputy John Fournier later arrested Twitty on routine patrol that night. At 10:30 p.m., Twitty was found walking down the centerline of Route 302 in Casco, apparently high on drugs. Upon his arrest, a large amount of OxyContin was discovered in a gym bag he was carrying.
Both Twitty and Fortin are being held at the Cumberland County Jail.
Bridgton Police Sgt. Doug Taft said the arrests come after a cooperative effort between Windham Police, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Windham Police Lt. David DeGruchy said the Bridgton investigation has also helped “cinch” the case against Twitty in regards to the Windham robbery currently in trial.
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