Rockland police arrest suspect in April home invasion
ROCKLAND — Rockland Police, with the assistance of the Machias Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Probation and Patrol, and the Maine State Police Crime Lab, arrested a suspect in connection with an April home invasion in Rockland.
Raheem James, 28, of Machias, was arrested June 15 and charged with burglary and assault. The charges come after an investigation into a home invasion and assault that occurred on Summer Street in Rockland during the early morning hours of April 7.
The female victim told police that she woke up and a masked man was in her home. She said the suspect placed his hands around her neck and fled from her home after she screamed.
James, who is on probation for a burglary that occurred in Rockland in 2020, is currently being held at the Washington County Jail on that charge as well as a probation hold. Additional charges are expected, according to Rockland Police.
The suspect made his initial court appearance June 17, via Zoom, before Judge John Martin in Knox County Court. His bail for the new charges was set at $10,000 cash. James is being held in jail until a probation revocation hearing on July 28 which will also include a dispositional conference.
James will be on supervised released once he is released from jail.
According to the affidavit filed in court by Detective Sgt. Alex Gaylor, during the investigation of the April incident, a witness identified James out of a photo array. On June 8, police received DNA analysis from the Maine State Police Crime Lab from a swab of a cut window screen at the home James allegedly entered April 7.
Police said the analysis matched the DNA profile of James.
On June 15, an attempt to arrest James at his regular probation check in Rockland failed after he did not appear. He was later located in Machias where he is now living and arrested by police on a probation hold and a felony burglary charge.
James had previous arrests by Rockland police for burglaries including May 31, 2020 at a home in Rockland and in August 2020 in connection to several burglaries on Grace, Masonic and Highland Streets in Rockland.
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Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com
