Westbrook police arrested a suspect with a history of theft and burglary convictions in one of the recent armed robberies targeting small businesses across southern Maine.
Travis Card, 38, was arrested Friday morning in connection with a robbery that occurred on April 6 at the Gulf Mart on Bridgton Road in Westbrook, police said. It’s not yet clear if the suspect is connected with any of the other 13 unsolved robberies in the region, including three other hold-ups in the city of Westbrook.
Card is from Windham but had been staying with his father in Westbrook.
Local police and the FBI have been investigating the possible connection between 15 armed robberies in less than four weeks, including a cluster of four robberies in a little more than 25 hours this week. In most cases, the suspect was identified as a white man covered in dark clothing and armed with a handgun entering a small business and demanding cash from employees. The majority of the robberies occurred shortly before closing at small businesses where only one or two employees were present.
Card was taken into custody without incident during a traffic stop on William Clarke Drive at approximately 6:30 a.m. Friday, according to Capt. Steven Goldberg of the Westbrook Police Department. Police executed search warrants on his vehicle and at his father’s apartment on Mechanic Street.
The arrest was a joint operation by police departments in Westbrook, South Portland and Portland, as well as the FBI.
During a press conference Friday afternoon, Goldberg praised the cooperation among agencies but declined to say whether police have evidence connecting Card to any of the other robberies.
“We’re still investigating,” he said. “At this point, it’s too early to tell for sure.”
Goldberg urged area businesses “continue to be alert” and stay vigilant about security.
He did not describe what new evidence led to the arrest, but said police moved quickly as soon as the suspect was identified. The police departments and FBI investigators have been speaking daily through a teleconference, he said.
Card’s father defended his son Friday, and said his son told him the police have the wrong guy.
Ray Card Jr., 61, said he is in complete disbelief at the arrest of his son, who has a salaried job working for an irrigation company, a company truck, and kids that he loves.
“He just called me from the jail and said, ‘Dad, I didn’t do this,’” Ray Card said.
A search warrant filed in court by a Westbrook detective indicated police intended to search Travis Card’s work truck, a Chevy Silverado that belongs to Watermatic Irrigation of South Portland. Scott Holmes, owner of Watermatic Irrigation, said Friday afternoon that Card is not employed by his company and declined further comment.
The father said Card usually lives in Windham but had been staying with him on Mechanic Street in Westbrook because he was having a marital dispute. He said his son planned to go back home to his family in the coming days.
Travis Card has a 9-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son, his father said. An armed robbery would mean much more jail time than Travis Card served in the past and he is too smart to take that risk, his father said. “I just can’t see him putting his family thought that.”
The first floor apartment where Ray Card Jr. lives was in disarray Friday and Card said local police and FBI turned the apartment upside down. Clothes and belongings were stacked high on the mattress in the master bedroom. Card’s son’s room was also a mess. In the kitchen, food was pulled from the cupboards. In the living room, a black leather couch cushion was askew. Card said he felt overwhelmed.
Police seized a “BB pistol,” as well as several pairs of gloves, a blue sweatshirt and other items, according to a receipt left at the home. They also took the trash cans, Ray Card said. Goldberg declined to discuss the evidence obtained by police.
Travis Card has numerous theft-related criminal convictions dating back to 2012, according to state records. He was sentenced to jail time several times, including a year in 2015 for felony burglary of a motor vehicle and theft by unauthorized taking or transfer. He also was found guilty multiple felony theft charges in 2012 and sentenced to nine months in jail.
His father said Card stayed out of trouble after his last arrest a few years ago. “It made him decide he had to straighten his life out and get on the right track and that’s what he’s been doing since then,” Ry Card Jr. said.
Police are not yet saying if Travis Card may be a suspect in any of the other recent robberies.
A suspect had previously been arrested and charged with one of the robberies – the April 7 holdup in Gorham – but police have said the others may be connected to each other, and some police statements suggest the unsolved robberies may have been carried out by the same man.
The unusual rash of robberies put the owners and employees of small businesses on alert, and led police to increase patrols and advise businesses to not take any risks if they are targeted. Police are advising people to comply with his demands rather than trying to resist or fight back, but business owners appeared to be increasingly frustrated and defiant, even keeping loaded guns behind the counters in case they were targeted.
Four of the recent robberies took place in Westbrook, which was the hardest hit community. Nine different communities between Old Orchard Beach and Auburn had at least one armed robbery since March 20.
This story will be updated.