A Barters Island residence owned by Frank and Alice Schambra, at 556 West Side Road, was robbed by three masked suspects who allegedly stole money and jewelry, then fled on foot at approximately 8 p.m., March 17.

Frank Schambra said he and his wife were downstairs in their media room at the time of the incident.

The suspects took an undisclosed amount of money and jewelry from the house safe, Schambra said.

Schambra said he cooperated with the suspects, who claimed they had a gun; however, he said he never witnessed a drawn weapon during the break-in. Two of the suspects reportedly abused Schambra, while the other suspect ran toward the door.

“They punched me and knocked me down. They were pretty rough,” Schambra said.

Schambra said he saw the suspects flee on foot, and that they appeared to be headed east toward the main road.

Lincoln County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene with a Maine State Police K-9 Unit that tracked the scent towards the barn located on the property behind the house.

At 8:19 p.m., the Boothbay Harbor Police Department was called for a backup perimeter check, according to Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Bob Hasch. Officers Larry Brown and Fred Hutchings were dispatched to the Barters Island bridge, where they stopped traffic from leaving the island.

Deborah Todte, a resident of Barters Island who lives two miles from the scene of the robbery, said she saw police searching the island.  

“I was walking by my living room window and saw a car go by with a spotlight shining at the window,” she said.   

Schambra complimented the support from the police officers who quickly arrived at the scene.

Schambra said the incident is still blurry in his mind, but he estimated the robbery took about 10 minutes.

Deputies and detectives spent several hours processing the scene for DNA and fingerprint evidence, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.

“The sad part about this whole thing is my feeling about Maine, and retiring in Maine, has always been that I love this place and we don't lock our doors. We never did before,” Schambra said.

The Schambras have lived in Boothbay for 14 years, and have been year-round residents at their Barters Island home for five years.

“I have no idea who they are, and I'm not going venture into a guess on those lines. I'm going to leave that to the police,” Schambra said.

As of noon March 18, there is still an ongoing investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. Anybody with information can contact Detective Terry Michaud at 207-882-7332.