Michael C. Chase David Hemingway

OLD ORCHARD BEACH — A Saco man who was staying at a local motel has been arrested and charged with Class A felony robbery in connection with the Dec 10 armed hold-up of the Family Dollar store in Old Orchard Beach.

Michael C. Chase, 32, is being held at York County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail following his arrest by Old Orchard Beach Police at about 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6.

The Dec. 10 robbery took place about 9:30 p.m. at Family Dollar, located at 8 Heath St.

As it turns out, police said Chase was staying in a unit at the Dock House Inn at 12 Heath St., located just steps away from the store.

Police didn’t say what led them to Chase.

On the morning following the robbery, police released a statement.

“An unidentified white male reportedly entered the store wearing dark clothing and covering his face,” wrote Capt. David Hemingway. “The male was brandishing a hammer and demanded a clerk give him money.”

The suspect took money from a cash register and demanded that the clerk lay down on the floor, Hemingway said.

The hammer-wielding suspect covered his face with a mask during the encounter.

Two store clerks were the only people in the building when the robber walked in, police said. No one was injured in the encounter.

Police searched for a suspect that night and brought in a police dog to assist, to no avail.

A search warrant was recently executed at the Dock House Inn, Hemingway said, and police then obtained an arrest warrant charging Chase with one count of robbery.

Chase was taken into custody at the Dock House Inn without incident.

The suspect was charged with a Class A felony under Maine’s criminal code because he was allegedly armed.

The maximum prison term for someone convicted of a Class A crime is 30 years.

An arrest is the beginning of the process that includes a first court appearance, a presentation of the case to a grand jury by prosecutors, an arraignment if  he is indicted, and possibly a trial.