Hermit missing for 27 years arrested for burglary

A MAN who lived in woodland as a hermit for 27 years has been arrested after being blamed for more than 1,000 burglaries.

• Christopher Knight, 47, caught after spending 27 years living as a hermit in woods

• Knight caught by surveillance sensor stealing food from local campsite

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Christopher Knight was caught by a surveillance sensor near a campsite in a small town in north-eastern state Maine.

Known as the North Pond Hermit and regarded locally by some as a myth, Knight had disappeared aged 19 from his Maine home and set up camp in the woods.

Authorities questioning the 47-year-old said that the last verbal contact he had with another person was a simple “hello” to another person on a trail in the 1990s.

Knight’s campsite, near the town of Rome, contained a tent covered by tarps, a bed, a propane cooking stove and a battery-operated radio.

Since 1986, Knight sustained himself in his makeshift campsite by stealing food and supplies from nearby campsites, including Pine Tree Camp, where game keeper Sergeant Terry Hughes had set up a surveillance alarm.

Knight has only been charged with the Pine Tree Camp burglary by police although it is widely suspected he is responsible for many more.

Related topics: