South Portland detectives say they arrested the wrong man for an armed car
robbery that happened this morning in the Maine Mall parking lot.

Christopher Gallant, 41, had been arrested after the victim and two
witnesses identified him as the perpetrator. He was being held on $500,000
cash bail at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland.

Sgt. Steve Webster, head of detectives for South Portland, said the
continuing investigation today showed that Gallant did not commit the crime.

Within the past hour, Webster went to the jail and adjusted the charge
against Gallant, allowing him to post $40 cash bail. Webster then drove
Gallant to the South Portland Police headquarters, where Gallant retrieved
his truck. Webster said he could not have the charge completely dismissed,
but he will work with the District Attorney's office to do that over the
coming days.

"The South Portland Police Department is confident that Gallant was not
responsible for the robbery that occurred in the mall parking lot; however,
we remain committed to the fact that there was probable cause to arrest him
at the time," Webster said in a press release.

"The purpose of this release is to stress the fact that Christopher Gallant
is now free on bail, and it is anticipated that his charge will be dismissed
in the near future."

5:07 p.m.

SOUTH PORTLAND - A 41-year-old man faces a felony armed robbery charge following an incident this morning at the Maine Mall parking lot.

Christopher Gallant is being held on $500,000 cash bail at the Cumberland County Jail.

Police said the incident happened around 10:50 a.m. A 25-year-old woman exited the Macy's store and walked outside to her vehicle. As she opened her door, a man rushed up beside her and held the door open, said Sgt. Steve Webster, head of detectives for South Portland.

The man put a handgun to her back and told her to push the seat forward so he could get in back, Webster said. The man got in the back seat and told the woman to drive out of the parking lot.

"Thank God she did the right thing. She didn't panic, she told him she wasn't going to drive," Webster said.

Meanwhile, a person in another parked car saw what was happening, and started honking his horn to attract attention, Webster said. The man then told the woman to drop the keys.

"She dropped the keys in the center console and took off running," Webster said. The man drove away onto Philbrick Road.

Officer Kevin Gerrish, who was at police headquarters getting ready to go home after a morning shift, began checking the hotels around the mall. Around 11:20 Gerrish located the victim's vehicle behind Howard Johnson's on Main Street, Webster said.

In the lobby, Gerrish saw a man who matched the description of the robber. Gerrish detained Gallant, who Webster described as a transient who has been staying at hotels in South Portland. The victim and another witness from the parking lot were taken to Howard Johnson's, where they identified Gallant as the perpetrator. Police arrested Gallant and took him to the Cumberland County Jail.

A pickup truck belonging to Gallant also was discovered in the Howard Johnson's parking lot. Detectives this afternoon have applied for a search warrant for that truck, which is at the South Portland Police headquarters.

Gallant's truck had been at a different hotel earlier in the day, Webster said. Police are investigating whether Gallant was working alone, and how he could have retrieved his truck after returning to Howard Johnson's with the victim's car.

"We will do a thorough investigation. We are going to turn over every stone," Webster said.

Webster said he does not know what the robber's intentions were when he allegedly tried to get the victim to drive away from the mall.

The gun and the victim's purse have not been recovered, Webster said.

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