A Portland man faces charges of burglary and drunken driving after his arrest atop a Zamboni machine at the Cumberland County Civic Center early Tuesday morning.
Adam Patterson, 23, had inadvertently summoned the Portland Fire Department to the civic center by driving a forklift, with the forks raised, into part of the sprinkler system, setting off an alarm, police said. Firefighters responded at 2 a.m. to find Patterson trying to drive the large ice resurfacer, which was against an interior wall and not on any ice, police said.
When officers arrived to arrest him, Patterson was sitting on the machine with the engine idling.
"The key is what didn't happen," said Steve Crane, the civic center's general manager. "The fast response from the Fire Department precluded potentially much more catastrophic damage."
Police believe Patterson entered the building with one or more accomplices. They then rode on two forklifts and the Zamboni; drove one of them into one a goal used for Portland Pirates hockey games, bending the frame; and broke the sprinkler system, dousing a storage area with water, police said. The water poured out near a drain, limiting the damage to some carpet, Crane said.
Police also discovered a large $2,000 window broken on the Spring Street side of the building, but weren't sure if that was the entry point or whether it was broken from the inside.
Patterson, who police say was visibly intoxicated, was unable to say how he entered the civic center. He was taken to Cumberland County Jail, where he was under observation Tuesday. He declined a request for an interview.
Patterson is charged with burglary, aggravated criminal mischief and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants. The damage totaled several thousand dollars, police said.
Patterson is being held without bail until he makes a court appearance, because he also has been charged with violating bail conditions from a previous arrest. On Oct. 10, Portland police charged him with criminal mischief after he allegedly damaged an apartment house gate and front door on Washington Avenue. He was found that night lying in the street and had almost been hit by a car, police said.
At the civic center, authorities discovered blood on the broken window and one of the vehicles, but found no injuries to Patterson, leading them to suspect others were involved.
Crane said the final ice activity ended Monday night at 8:30, and the ice had been covered with a surface for an upcoming wrestling event.
The first report of anything amiss was a burglar alarm that went off about 1:42 a.m. Tuesday. Police said they found an employee locking up the building, and he indicated that crews were working in another part of the civic center.
Crane said no county employees were working at that time of night, although an employee of the Pirates organization might have been working late in the locker room.
Crane said it's the first time someone has broken into the civic center in the 30 years he has been associated with it.
Staff Writer David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:
dhench@pressherald.com
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