/

Two plead guilty to convenience store break-ins, one to arson

5 mins read
To the left is a June 28, 2015 photograph of a building on 9 Sewall Street that was destroyed in a fire that investigators say was set intentionally. To the right is a picture captured by a security camera at a convenience store on July 1, 2015.
To the left is a June 28, 2015 photograph of a building on 9 Sewall Street that was destroyed in a fire that investigators say was set intentionally. To the right is a picture captured by a security camera at a convenience store on July 1, 2015.
Duane Bailey (All photos courtesy of Franklin County Detention Center)
Duane Bailey

FARMINGTON – Two of the four men accused of breaking into three local convenience stores recently pleaded guilty in Franklin County Superior Court, with one of them also admitting to setting fires that destroyed property in Wilton and Carthage.

Duane Bailey, 28 of Carver, Mass., pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary, all Class C felonies, and two counts of misdemeanor theft last week. In a separate case, he also pleaded guilty to two counts of arson, with two other arson counts and one count of criminal conspiracy dismissed. In another separate case, a misdemeanor charge of violating the conditions of his release was also dismissed.

Einer Bonilla, 22 of Grand Island, Neb., pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary, all Class C felonies, and two counts of misdemeanor theft.

Sentencing will await the resolution of all charges that the four co-defendants have been accused of.

Einer Bonilla
Einer Bonilla

Bailey and Bonilla pleaded guilty to charges that relate to a series of break-ins that occurred last summer. Maine State Police and Jay police responded to reported burglaries at three local-area convenience stores in the early morning hours of July 1, 2015. Our Village Market in New Vineyard, My Dad’s Place in Jay and Skoolhouse Variety in Weld were all forcibly entered through the front door, with the perpetrators taking alcohol and tobacco products from the latter two establishments.

Upon receiving information from members of law enforcement and the public after images captured by video surveillance cameras were released to the media, troopers arrested Bailey, Bonilla and two other men: D’Kota Rowe, 21 of Wilton, and Devon Pease, 23 of Jay.

Bailey pleaded guilty to arson charges that stem from a State Fire Marshal’s Office investigation into fires that destroyed two structures last summer: a double-wide residence on Sewall Street in Wilton and a log-style cabin on the Winter Hill Road in Carthage. Investigators believe that all four men were involved with the first fire, on June 27, while Bailey, Bonilla and Rowe were involved with the second.

D'Kota Rowe
D’Kota Rowe

According to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Wilton fire was set after barking dogs prevented the defendants from burning a Wilton Main Street residence that belonged to a man with whom some of the defendants had a perceived feud with. That allegedly led them to burn down a nearby house on Sewall Street in a bid to have the fire spread onto the Main Street resident’s property.

The Main Street property was home to eight adults and five children at the time, according to investigators. Given the large number of people in the residence, State Fire Marshal’s Office Sgt. Kenneth Grimes said last summer, a fire at that location could have been “catastrophic.”

According to interviews with Rowe, Bailey and Pease, investigators say, the Jay man was dropped off prior to second fire. That fire, which occurred at a Carthage camp owned by a Mexico family later that evening, was set after the men reportedly stopped on the Winter Hill Road.

Devon Pease
Devon Pease

Both fires were allegedly set using gasoline.

Bailey, Rowe and Pease were indicted the arson and convenience store burglaries on Aug. 20, 2015 by the Franklin County grand jury. Bonilla was indicted on the burglaries on Aug. 20, 2015, and on four counts of arson and one count of criminal conspiracy on March 4.

Rowe and Pease have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Those cases, as well as Bonilla’s arson charges, are still awaiting resolution.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

2 Comments

  1. These idiots cant even pay for themselves to get a happy meal.

    The 2nd pic down…Guy is smirking, Really? Stupid is as Stupid does…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.