CORNVILLE -- Three sheriff's deputies hid inside the house Wednesday morning, while two more waited outside.

After a couple hours, around 10 a.m., a car stopped on the side of Ames Road, the door clicking shut as a man, wearing latex gloves and shielding his face with his hood, walked through the woods to the back of the house. As he walked, the car drove away. He climbed through the bathroom window and began rifling through drawers.

The two deputies outside gave the signal, and the deputies inside descended on Devin Bellefleur, 20, of Fairfield, arresting him for burglary and attempted theft, said Lt. Carl Gottardi, with the Somerset County Sheriff's Office.

When the getaway car returned to the house, the deputies outside approached it. It drove off.

A short while later, the deputies stopped the vehicle on East Ridge Road, a short distance from the burglarized home. The driver was Lindsay McFarland, 18, of Fairfield. And in the car was her 15-month-old child.

Police also arrested McFarland for burglary and attempted theft.

Bellefleur and McFarland's motivation was to steal prescription medication, Gottardi said.

"It's a growing trend where we're having people commit burglaries that are drug-related in some way," he said.

The home had been burglarized several times in the past few weeks, Gottardi said. When police investigated those burglaries, they identified possible suspects. Their investigation also led them to think people might burglarize the residence Wednesday.

The child was turned over to a relative after consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services.

Police are investigating Bellefleur and McFarland's involvement with other reported burglaries, Gottardi said.

The deputies inside the house were Det. Sgt. Thomas Rourke, Deputy Ritchie Putnam and Deputy Michael Ross. The officers outside the house were Deputy William Quigley and Gottardi.

The Sheriff's Department received investigative assistance from Sgt. Kingston Paul of the Fairfield Police Department.

If people see suspicious activity, such as a car driving back and forth in front of a house, police said they encourage them to call the sheriff's office at 474-0237.

Erin Rhoda -- 474-9534

erhoda@mainetoday.com