Hermit who lived in US woods for 27 years suspected of 1,000 burglaries "Everything he owned except for his eyeglasses was stolen," said Stephen McCausland, a spokesman with the Maine State Police. Mr Knight told the officers who arrested him that he had spoken with only one other person - a lone hiker - during his years of solitude. The man survived the brutal winters of central Maine, where winter overnight temperatures can drop well below freezing, by sleeping in multiple sleeping bags inside a tent that was covered with a tarp. He appeared neatly groomed and clean-shaven in a police booking photo. Police also released photos of Mr Knight, wearing a cap and jacket, carrying a large plastic bag inside a walk-in cooler at the Pine Tree Camp where he was apprehended. Mr Knight had built himself a large camp in the woods near North Pond, his tent covered by a tarp that was carefully tied to the surrounding trees, evidently to provide some shelter from the elements, according to photos released by police. He had painted garbage cans in camouflage patterns, covered shiny tools and made other efforts to conceal his presence, police said. Mr McCausland said Mr Knight offered police no reason for his decision to go into the woods. The Chernobyl accident was the last major event he remembered before beginning his hermitage, he told police, but the nuclear accident had not prompted his decision. Mr Knight has been charged with one count of burglary so far, but additional charges are likely to follow. His presence was long suspected by local residents and camp operators from whom he had stolen, according to local media.