Portland police say that a man armed with a handgun robbed a gas station in the Riverton neighborhood Tuesday night.
Riverton Gas Station Google photo
Lt. Kevin Cashman said the robber, whose face was covered, displayed a firearm and made off on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The robbery took place around 7:40 p.m. at the Riverton Gas Station, 1585 Forest Ave. Cashman said the gas station clerk was not hurt.
No shots were fired and the robber remained at large late Tuesday night.
IN ATHENS, Tuesday at 1:51 p.m., a county deputy was called to assist another agency on Chapman Ridge Road.
IN CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Tuesday at 9:59 p.m., noise was reported on Mountainside Road.
IN DETROIT, Tuesday at 12:12 p.m., vandalism was reported on North Road.
IN FAIRFIELD, Tuesday at 9:12 a.m., a theft was reported on Winter Street.
12:30 p.m., a theft was reported on Main Street.
5 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Main Street.
Wednesday at 12:24 a.m., police made an arrest after receiving a report of a domestic disturbance on Main Street.
7:06 a.m., court paperwork was served on Keyes Street.
IN FARMINGTON, Tuesday at 8:15 a.m., harassment was reported on Franklin Avenue.
4:21 p.m., a traffic accident causing injury was reported on Wilton Road.
IN HARMONY, Tuesday at 11:02 p.m., court paperwork was served on Wellington Road.
IN MADISON, Tuesday at 4:49 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Lakewood Road.
Wednesday at 3:11 a.m., a disturbance was reported on Old County Road.
IN MOSCOW, Tuesday at 1:48 p.m., a theft was reported on Deadwater Road.
IN NORRIDGEWOCK, Wednesday at 12:02 a.m., police made an arrest after receiving a report of an assault on Martin Stream Road.
IN OAKLAND, Tuesday at 12:32 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Belgrade Road.
4:06 p.m., an intoxicated person was reported at the Oakland Town Office on Cascade Mill Road.
7:17 p.m., a caller from Summer Street reported a person was missing.
IN PALMYRA, Tuesday at 1:47 p.m., a scam complaint was taken from Gray Road.
IN PITTSFIELD, Tuesday at 10:48 a.m., fire units were sent to conduct an investigation on Somerset Avenue.
11:39 a.m., police made an arrest following a report of shoplifting at Somerset Plaza.
5:51 p.m., a structure fire was reported on Chandler Street.
IN SIDNEY, Tuesday at 11:39 p.m., a car-deer accident was reported on Middle Road.
IN SKOWHEGAN, Tuesday at 10:46 a.m., a complaint was taken from Waterville Road.
10:54 a.m., a scam complaint was taken from Lawton Street.
11:31 a.m., a violation of bail or of a protection order was reported on Mountain View Terrace.
12:24 p.m., trespassing was reported on Waterville Road.
2:34 p.m., a harassment complaint was taken from Coburn Avenue.
4:20 p.m., a harassment complaint was taken from Family Circle.
4:31 p.m., an intoxicated person was reported on Milburn Street.
6:08 p.m., police made an arrest on Madison Avenue.
8:12 p.m., a theft was reported on Water Street.
IN SOLON, Wednesday at 6:43 a.m., police were called to assist another agency on South Solon Road.
IN WATERVILLE, Tuesday at 8:48 a.m., a theft was reported on Western Avenue.
10:18 a.m., an assault was reported at Burger King on College Avenue.
1:55 p.m., harassment was reported on Wilson Street.
2:21 p.m., a theft was reported on Silver Street.
5:38 p.m., threatening was reported at the Woodlands on West River Road.
8:13 p.m., a theft was reported at Governor’s Restaurant on Main Street.
Wednesday at 5:31 a.m., harassment was reported on Quarry Road.
IN WILTON, Tuesday at 4:54 p.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on U.S. Route 2 and Pond Road.
7:58 p.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on U.S. Route 2.
IN WYMAN TOWNSHIP, Tuesday at 9:25 a.m., harassment was reported on Carrabassett Road.
9:43 a.m., harassment was reported on Carrabassett Road.
ARRESTS
IN FAIRFIELD, Wednesday at 12:24 a.m., Justin Eugene Meserve, 34, of Fairfield, was arrested on a charge of domestic violence assault.
IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, Tuesday at 8:54 a.m., Kevin P. Rennie, 32, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with aggravated criminal invasion of computer privacy.
3:58 p.m., Heather Sue Biedinger, 35, of Wilton, was arrested on two warrants and a probation hold and charged with unlawful possession of a scheduled drug.
IN SOMERSET COUNTY, Tuesday at 3:45 p.m., Tiffany Lynn Mathieu, 31, of Skowhegan, was arrested on two counts of failure to appear in court.
6:46 p.m., Christopher Arthur Skidgell Jr., 25, of Skowhegan, was arrested on warrants for failure to appear and unpaid fines or fees.
Wednesday at 1:17 a.m., Alixandra Bailey Cobb, 19, of Norridgewock, was arrested on a charge of violating conditions of release.
2:53 a.m., Justin Eugene Meserve, 34, of Winslow, was charged with domestic violence assault.
IN OAKLAND, Tuesday at 9:39 p.m., Donald P. Emery, 38, of Oakland, was arrested and charged with violating condition of release.
IN WINSLOW, Wednesday at 12:39 a.m., Justin E. Meserve, 34, of Fairfield, was arrested on a warrant.
SUMMONSES
IN FAIRFIELD, Tuesday at 10:30 p.m., Michael Lawrence Cleaveland, 34, of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, was summoned on a charge of speeding 30 mph or more over the speed limit.
IN WINSLOW, Tuesday at 8:25 a.m., Michelle Joy Stanley, 36, of Farmingdale, was summoned and charged with failing to obtain a driver’s license.
Hall-Dale Middle and High School buildings in Farmingdale were evacuated briefly Wednesday morning after a report of a bomb threat written on a middle school boys bathroom wall, police said.
Regional School Unit 2 officials had students and most of the staff moved to the elementary school as a precaution while the buildings were searched. Police received the report shortly after 10 a.m.
The students returned to their classrooms after searches of the buildings were complete and no suspicious items were found, said Lt. Chris Read, of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.
Superintendent Bill Zima said the students were given food while at Hall-Dale Elementary and returned to the middle and high school campuses before 1 p.m.
The evacuation came amid heightened concern over school safety nationwide in the wake of a deadly shooting at a school in Parkland, Florida.
“We acted with caution to ensure the safety of our students,” Zima said.
A Maine State Police police dog team was also at the scene assisting in the search of the building, Read said.
Read said the investigation is ongoing and the school administration will determine whether any charges will be filed. Zima said he wouldn’t comment because it’s an open investigation.
No other information will be released, Read said.
Jason Pafundi — 621-5663
Twitter: @jasonpafundi
WEST BATH — A Richmond woman who pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of forgery and taking money from a member account at the credit union where she worked was sentenced Wednesday to serve 45 days in jail.
Clarissa Hurley, 51, who had worked at the Down East Credit Union in Richmond, was sentenced to 18 months, with all but 45 days suspended, and two years of probation. She also will be required to pay back the $8,500 that she stole.
At West Bath District Court, Justice Daniel Billings said a sentence of six to nine months could be justified easily, but he considered mitigating factors. In announcing Hurley’s sentence, Billings said the start of it would be stayed until April 6 because Hurley has medical appointments scheduled.
“In this case, although you started from meager circumstances in life, you overcame that,” Billings said. “You had the American success story and the system worked for you. You have been able to live a good life and achieve reasonable economic success. You threw that all away when you committed that crime.”
In her statement to the court, Hurley acknowledged she had betrayed the trust of her co-workers at the credit union.
“I was so very stupid,” Hurley said.
“If any good can come from this,” she said, ” it’s the many conversations I’ve had with my daughters about how in one second, your integrity can completely disappear and you may never get that back.”
Hurley said small-town rumors flew after the charges against her became public that were hurtful to her, her husband and her two daughters, including allegations that the cause of a fire that broke out in their home was arson. The state fire marshal’s office determined the cause was a faulty dryer.
Assistant District Attorney A.J. Chalifour likened Hurley’s crime to a bank robbery, and said she had abused a level of trust that she had built up over her life when she twice took money from a member’s account — first $4,000 and then $4,500 — and forged the account holder’s name on the receipt.
What sets the case apart, he said, is that Hurley accused the members of the credit union of setting her up, putting the credit union in the difficult position because its employees could not respond to questions from members and residents or defend themselves because of the pending court case.
“There was no real reason for this to happen and no real reason for her to lash out at her co-workers,” Chalifour said.
Leonard Sharon, an attorney with Andrucki & King, of Lewiston, said in pleading guilty, Hurley accepted responsibility for actions. He asked Billings to take into consideration the “totality of circumstances,” including Hurley’s health.
In addition to being injured in a crash shortly after she was fired, she has been diagnosed with a seizure order with an unknown cause.
Billings said because there was no threat of violence, the crime could not be compared to bank robbery.
While employees of the credit union were the court room Wednesday, they declined to speak. Two credit union officials, Daniel Daggett and Carol Hoopingarner, submitted victim impact statements. In the statements, they said they were surprised at the accusations Hurley had leveled at the credit union, whose reputation was damaged in the wake of the charges becoming known.
Daggett said in 25 years, during which there was one other count of embezzlement, two armed robberies repossessions, foreclosures and employee terminations, he had never had so many questions about what had happened at the credit union.
Three town residents submitted comments supporting Hurley and attesting to her character: O’Neil LaPlante, chairman of the Richmond Selectboard; David Thompson, former selectman; and Sherry Loon.
Jessica Lowell — 621-5632
Twitter: @JLowellKJ
Kevin Rennie
FARMINGTON — Police say a Pennsylvania man helped a local car dealership customer link her phone to a new vehicle and then helped himself to nude photos of herself on her phone, which he then sent to himself.
On Tuesday, Farmington officer Jacob Richards arrested Kevin Rennie, 32, of Philadelphia on a felony charge of aggravated criminal invasion of computer privacy.
Richards began an investigation after he spoke Monday to a customer of Tinny’s Auto Outlet in Farmington. The customer had been assisted by Rennie with the purchase of a car.
Tinny’s had hired a marketing firm to do a promotional event and Rennie was a subcontracted sales representative for the marketing firm, Deputy Police Chief Shane Cote said. The dealership said it has severed ties with the marketing firm.
Rennie was issued a no trespassing warning to not go onto the property, police department secretary Bonnie Pomeroy said Tuesday.
A conviction on the charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Rennie is being held on $10,000 cash bail at the Franklin County Detention Center in Farmington. If he does not post bail, Rennie is scheduled to appear before a judge Wednesday.
The former high-profile Portland restaurateurs who owe tens of thousands of dollars in civil judgments over unpaid bills have left the state and now face criminal charges that they wrote bad checks.
Thomas and Shannon Bard are accused of writing more than $19,000 in bad checks to Bow Street Distributing, a Freeport wine, beer and spirits merchant that sells liquor to restaurants and also operates retail stores.
Thomas Bard, who ran the business side of the couple’s Bard Enterprises, which owned the Mexican restaurant Zapoteca in Portland, is accused of writing 21 bad checks to Bow Street worth $10,376 between March and June 2017. The amount makes it a Class C crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000.
His wife is accused of writing 15 bad checks to Bow Street worth $8,882 during the same period. Shannon Bard, who was the public face of Zapoteca, appeared on Food Network shows and wrote cookbooks in addition to being the head chef of the couple’s restaurant on Fore Street. She faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
A spokesman for Bow Street declined comment on the charges, which were lodged by Freeport police. The couple were indicted by a Cumberland County grand jury this month.
FALL OF A HIGH-PROFILE COUPLE
The charges are the latest in a string of events that dislodged one of Portland’s highest-profile couples from the city’s burgeoning foodie community.
The Bards closed Zapoteca last June, saying they wanted to spend more time with their children. They then concentrated on another restaurant, Toroso, in their hometown of Kennebunk. Lawsuits from vendors, employees, suppliers and others accusing the Bards of not paying their bills in Portland tallied in the tens of thousands.
Similar civil suits were filed in Kennebunk, where the couple closed Toroso in late summer. The Port Road building where the restaurant was located was sold at public auction in December after the bank holding the mortgage foreclosed.
The charges against the Bards illustrate how difficult it is to operate a restaurant, particularly in Portland, where the competition is stiff, said Steve Hewins, president and chief executive officer of the Maine Restaurant Association.
“There’s a business that had a lot going for it, with an award-winning chef,” he said, surmising that the business had overextended itself.
That makes for a difficult recovery in a competitive market that suffers from seasonal swings in business, he said.
“You’ve got to be very good just to keep the doors open, and this is illustrative of the challenges that restaurant owners face,” he said.
MOVE TO MASSACHUSETTS
According to documents on file in the criminal case, the Bards have relocated to Harvard, Massachusetts. A call to Thomas Bard was not answered, and he didn’t respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday afternoon.
Documents on file with the York County Registry of Deeds say Toroso owed more than $75,000 to a food service and equipment company.
Most of the cases involving unpaid bills in Cumberland County have been settled in favor of the vendors who were owed money by the Bards. Some of them are default judgments in which, court documents said, the Bards didn’t answer the lawsuits and failed to appear in court.
The couple’s move to Massachusetts will slightly complicate efforts to collect on the judgments, mainly because of delays.
Andre Duchette, who won a judgment of nearly $44,000 against Bard Enterprises for unpaid rent on the Fore Street building where Zapoteca operated, said he and other lawyers will need to transfer the judgments to a Massachusetts court and ask a judge there to order the Bards to pay.
Duchette, who declined to comment on the specifics of his suit filed on behalf of Casco View Holdings, said transferring the judgment isn’t uncommon, and that rules on civil suits over unpaid bills are largely identical in Maine and Massachusetts. Courts in both states typically defer to the judgments entered in the other state, he said.
Delays in settling the debts can be costly. In one case, Agera Energy, which supplied natural gas to Zapoteca, won a $12,803 default judgment against Bard Enterprises and Thomas Bard for unpaid bills last July. In addition to assessing Bard $508 in court costs, the judgment has been accruing interest of 18 percent since it was entered.
Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:
emurphy@pressherald.com
The Courier-Gazette
A complaint in December about a tent being set up in Warren without a landowner’s permission sparked a probe that led to the arrest this week of a Thomaston man suspected in numerous burglaries throughout the midcoast.
Joshua L. Vandine, 37, was arrested March 19 and charged with receiving stolen property – a gun stolen in November 2016. The Maine Department of Public Safety stated in a news release that Vandine is a suspect in numerous burglaries at storage units.
Assistant District Attorney Christopher Fernald said Vandine’s criminal history dates back to 1997 and includes numerous burglaries, thefts and possession of firearms by a felon, as well as an assault on an officer.
Maine State Police Sgt. Patrick Hood was notified in December by Maine Game Warden Mark Merrifield that a convicted felon might by in possession of a gun, according to an affidavit filed in Knox County Unified Court. A landowner off Highland Road had complained of a tent being set up on his property without his permission. The warden checked on the complaint and found ammunition.
Hood and Merrifield interviewed the man and he admitted he had a gun and said he had bought it from Vandine, according to the affidavit.
The gun had been stolen from a home in Newcastle on Oct. 25, 2016.
Police began checking on Vandine and checking the vehicles he owned to see if they matched surveillance photographs from several break-ins at storage units.
In one break-in at a Woolwich storage unit, about $100,000 in antiques had been stolen, according to the affidavit. A surveillance photograph showed a vehicle similar to what Vandine owned at the time. A surveillance tape from a nearby convenience store also showed the vehicle and a man going into the store who resembled Vandine’s photo on his Facebook page, according to the police report.
Police looked into other break-ins, including a May 29, 2017 burglary at a coin shop on West Street in Rockport.
Five days earlier a man fitting Vandine’s description had been in the coin shop and afterward, about $1,000 in coins disappeared, according to the affidavit.
Police found that Vandine had given some rare coins the previous summer to the man he had sold the stolen gun to, according to the affidavit.
Troopers seized enough items from Vandine’s home on Main Street in Thomaston, vehicle and his own storage locker to load two U-Haul trucks. The items include chainsaws, tools, hunting and fishing equipment, coins, antiques, toys and clothing, according to Maine Department of Public Safety.
Owners who have not checked their own storage units in months could be victims, police said. One tactic used by the burglars was cutting off locks and replacing them with other locks. Storage unit owners and renters who have discovered they are victims should call State Police in Augusta at 624-7076.
Vandine is being held in lieu of $10,000 cash bail. He was scheduled to make his initial appearance in the Knox court on Wednesday afternoon.
IN AUGUSTA, Tuesday at 7:43 a.m., a traffic accident causing an injury was reported on New England Road.
10:41 a.m., burglary from a motor vehicle was reported on Stone Street.
10:45 a.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Bennett Street.
10:54 a.m., simple assault was reported on Summer Street.
11:42 a.m., theft was reported on Cony Street.
11:42 a.m., criminal mischief was reported on Lees Court.
12:11 p.m., shoplifting was reported on Stephen King Drive.
1:01 p.m., theft was reported on Sewall Street.
4:33 p.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Stephen King Drive.
4:35 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Chapel Street.
4:40 p.m., counterfeiting was reported on Western Avenue.
5 p.m., a mental health and well-being check was performed on Capitol Street.
5:19 p.m., harassment was reported on Newland Avenue.
5:42 p.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on Summer Haven Road.
7:06 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Jefferson Street.
7:48 p.m., a mental health and well-being check was done on Old Winthrop Road.
7:53 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Winthrop Street.
8:22 p.m., shoplifting was reported on Western Avenue.
9:35 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Bennett Street.
10:21 p.m., a mental health and well-being check was done on Winthrop Street.
10:23 p.m., harassment was reported on Water Street.
10:26 p.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Hospital Street.
10:34 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Chapel Street.
Wednesday at 12:49 a.m., a disturbance was reported on Northern Avenue.
1:46 a.m., a disturbance was reported on Northern Avenue.
IN FARMINGDALE, Tuesday at 3:17 p.m., assault was reported on Sheldon Street.
IN GARDINER, Tuesday at 1:58 p.m., a suspicious person was reported on Cobbosee Avenue.
IN HALLOWELL, Tuesday at 9:54 p.m., property was recovered on Maple Street.
11:14 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Water Street.
Wednesday at 4:29 a.m., a disturbance was reported on Water Street.
IN MONMOUTH, Tuesday at 5:07 p.m., a well-being check was done on Blue Road.
ARRESTS
IN AUGUSTA, Tuesday at 7:21 a.m., Scott Forest Holbrook, 53, of Augusta, was arrested on charges of burglary, theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, and criminal mischief, after theft was reported on Capitol Street.
11:37 a.m., Gerald Richard Sounier, 41, of Augusta, was arrested on a charge of operating a vehicle with an expired temporary registration, during a traffic stop on Water Street.
5:08 p.m., Nichole Joline Bowie, 44, of Augusta, was arrested on a warrant, on Page Street.
SUMMONSES
IN AUGUSTA, Tuesday at 7:57 a.m., a 32-year-old Augusta woman was summoned on a charge of failure to register a vehicle, during a traffic stop on Washington Street.
IN HALLOWELL, Tuesday at 8:20 a.m., a 35-year-old South Gardiner woman was summoned on a charge of attaching false plates, during a traffic stop on North Street.
Portland police are looking for a man who robbed a gas station at gunpoint Tuesday evening.
The Riverton Gas Station at 1585 Forest Ave. was robbed just after 7:30 p.m. by a man who displayed a silver-colored handgun and demanded cash, police said. No one was injured during the robbery.
The robber left with an undisclosed amount of cash and was last seen running outbound on Forest Avenue.
He is described as white and about 30 years old. He is about 5-feet-5-inches tall with a thin build. He was wearing a heavy dark jacket, dark cap, dark gloves and a half-face ski mask.
The department released images from the store’s surveillance camera and is asking anyone with information to call the Portland Police Department at (207) 874-8575.
To provide information anonymously, community members may contact police by text, internet or phone.
Mobile phone users can text the keyword “GOTCHA” plus their message to 274637 (CRIMES).
Submit tips by going to the Portland Police Department website: www.portland-police.com and clicking “Submit an Anonymous Crime Tip.”
Anonymous phone tips can be left on the Department’s Crime Tip line: 207-874-8584.
A man arrested after a controversial traffic stop by a Maine State Police trooper has been convicted of entering the United States after being removed or deported.
Mario Ernesto Garcia-Zavala, 22, a citizen of Honduras, was convicted Wednesday following non-jury trial in U.S. District Court in Portland.
Garcia-Zavala had been ordered removed to Honduras on March 29, 2014. He did not apply for permission to re-enter the U.S. and was arrested in Portland on Sept. 9, 2017, after a trooper stopped the van in which he was a passenger on Interstate 295.
Garcia-Zavala’s lawyer argued that the stop was the result of racial profiling and unlawful detention. The lawyer, Robert Andrews said the trooper who stopped the van said he did so because a front-seat passenger was not wearing a seat belt and the van had a cracked windshield, but he seemed more concerned about the passengers’ immigration status than the traffic violations.
However, federal district Judge George Singal overruled Andrews’ objections and allowed the case to move forward.
Garcia-Zavala, who will be sentenced at a later date, faces up to two years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and two years of supervised release, and will likely be returned to Honduras after he completes his sentence.
A Gardiner woman is facing federal drug conspiracy charge.
Heather Downs, 31, pleaded not guilty Wednesday afternoon at her arraignment in U.S. District Court in Bangor.
Downs was indicted March 15 by a federal grand jury on a charge of “conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute” heroin and cocaine base in the period of June 14, 2015 to March 9, 2017, in Maine and elsewhere.
Court records indicate Downs was arrested Monday in Kennebec County and the indictment was unsealed. The court records contained no additional details about where and how many drugs allegedly were sold.
The prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Casey, is asking that Downs remain in custody because the offense carries a maximum penalty of more than 10 years.
Magistrate Judge John C. Nivison scheduled a hearing on that request for Wednesday. In the meantime, Downs, who is represented by attorney Sarah Churchill, remains behind bars.
While the indictment names a conspiracy, no other individual is named as a defendant in that case.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
FARMINGTON — A Temple man was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison for assaulting his father at his home on Cummings Hill Road in Temple.
Brian R. Mackin, 27, pleaded guilty to a felony count of aggravated assault Monday in Franklin County Superior Court.
Charges of aggravated criminal trespass, terrorizing and violating condition of release were dismissed in a plea agreement.
Justice Robert Mullen also sentenced Mackin to 364 days in jail on a separate domestic violence assault charge that occurred in Farmington in October 2017.
If Mackin had gone to trial on the aggravated assault charge, Deputy District Attorney James Andrews said Mackin’s father would have testified that his son had been visiting and staying at his Temple home. He asked the Brian to leave Jan. 17 and he did.
The father would testify that on Jan. 18 he was surprised to hear noise in the kitchen and found his son there. The father would have testified that he was pushed from behind and his son threatened to kill him, according to Andrews.
Mackin grabbed a knife from the kitchen and his father grabbed a wooden drumstick and an altercation ensued.
The father was not sure how he received the wound on his head. During the investigation, Andrews said, a knife was discovered and it had blood on it.
Mackin told the court that his father could not have provided a written statement on whether the knife caused his wound because of his learning disability.
The incident caused a police standoff when Mackin did not immediately leave his father’s house once Franklin County sheriff’s deputies and state police arrived, Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. previously said.
Mullen said there was a conference in judge’s chambers with Andrews and defense attorney Christopher Berryment about the strengths and weaknesses of the state’s case.
The sentencing agreement was a fair one under the circumstances, Mullen said.
The 364-day sentence for the domestic assault conviction will be served at the same time as the 18-month straight sentence on the aggravated assault conviction.
Only four people attended a 90-minute presentation by Portland police leadership Wednesday to talk about the roll-out of police body cameras and the draft internal department policy that officers will follow with them.
Chief Michael Sauschuck and Assistant Chief Vern Malloch listened to questions and concerns and explained how the department came up with its strategy.
“We’re trying to be upfront in the beginning to say this is not going to solve all the problems,” Sauschuck said. “You’re going to catch some stuff (on cameras), you’re not going to catch some stuff. There will be human error in play. But we’ll do the best we can on the policy side.”
Beginning in April, Sauschuck said he will begin a $26,000, grant-funded pilot program to deploy up to eight cameras on officers in different positions in the department. Among the hurdles to clear was for Sauschuck to get the buy-in from the department’s police union.
The cameras are smaller than a deck of playing cards, will be worn on an officer’s chest and will be used to record most police duties as they interact with the public, investigate crimes and respond to calls, according to the policy.
Other interactions will not be recorded – such as when police are in their locker room or using a bathroom, during personal breaks or during mealtimes, and when police converse with each other or enter a correctional facility, to name just a few.
The city has included roughly $400,000 to buy the equipment for the entire department in the annual capital improvement budget. If city councilors approve the spending, more cameras would show up on the streets by late fall or winter, Sauschuck said.
From the small crowd, Sauschuck heard both criticism and praise.
Anne Haskell, a former state representative from Portland, said she appreciated what she saw as a thoughtful policy process in the face of calls to rush toward implementation. Mayor Ethan Strimling called for an accelerated timetable to implement the cameras after a Portland police officer shot and killed Chance David Baker in February 2017.
“There were lots of calls, ‘lets do it, lets get them in here lets do it right now,’ ” Haskell said. “I appreciate how careful and how thoughtful I think you’ve been in bringing this.
Sauschuck said his team combed through studies, looked at numerous policies from around the country and developed by activist groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, and listened to local groups before drawing up the policy draft.
Still, there were questions and criticism.
Kim Rich, a former candidate for city council, said she was concerned about the long-term costs of storing mounds of video data.
A mother and son from Dayton were arrested Wednesday after he allegedly strangled his girlfriend and she interfered as police tried to arrest him.
Brian King and his mother, Sandra King Photo courtesy of the Maine State Police
Maine State Police were called to a house on Dyer Road in Dayton on Wednesday after 26-year-old Brian King allegedly kicked in the door of a bathroom, strangled his girlfriend and threatened to kill her, according to police. He then allegedly assaulted his girlfriend’s mother before running out of the house.
As troopers gathered statements from witnesses, they saw King run across the street and into a barn. Troopers surrounded the barn, but King refused to come out, police said.
King’s mother, Sandra King, 56, of Dayton, arrived on the scene during the incident and tried to enter the barn. Police say she would not comply with warnings from troopers to leave the scene and was arrested for hindering apprehension.
Troopers then entered the barn with a police dog and found Brian King hiding under hay in a loft.
Brian King was charged with aggravated domestic violence (strangulation), assault and on an outstanding warrant. He was taken to York County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
Sandra King was taken to the York County Jail and her bail was set at $100.
IN AUGUSTA, Wednesday at 7:07 a.m., property was recovered on Stephen King Drive.
11:13 a.m., harassment was reported on Summer Street.
11:17 a.m., criminal trespassing was reported on Green Street.
11:46 a.m., an accident causing an injury was reported on Interstate 95.
11:46 a.m., a well-being check was done on Parkwood Drive.
11:54 a.m., a mental health and well-being check was done on Weston Street.
12:13 p.m., needles were recovered on Water Street.
1:49 p.m., a well-being check was done on Drew Street.
2:02 p.m., a mental health and well-being check was done on Spruce Street.
3 p.m., a hit-and-run traffic accident was reported on Marketplace Drive.
3:17 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Winthrop Street.
4:29 p.m., criminal trespassing was reported on Water Street.
4:37 p.m., harassment was reported on Glenridge Drive.
4:40 p.m., property was recovered on Powhattan Street.
4:50 p.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Washington Street.
5:04 p.m., a hit-and-run traffic accident was reported on Leighton and Old Winthrop roads.
5:07 p.m., simple assault was reported on Civic Center Drive.
6:33 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Gray Birch Drive.
8:14 p.m., property was recovered on Cony Street.
8:48 p.m., disorderly conduct was reported on New England Road.
8:53 p.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Bridge Street.
10:29 p.m., criminal trespassing was reported on Chapel Street.
Thursday at 12:20 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Glenridge Drive.
1:04 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Glenridge Drive.
2 a.m., a mental health and well-being check was done on Drew Street.
IN BELGRADE, Wednesday at 9:24 a.m., theft was reported on Dalton Road.
IN GARDINER, Wednesday at 8:32 a.m., theft was reported on Maple Street.
12:29 p.m., harassment was reported on Highland Avenue.
4:23 p.m., a late report of theft was made on Maine Avenue.
IN MONMOUTH, Wednesday at 1:05 p.m., criminal mischief was reported on U.S. Route 202.
IN MOUNT VERNON, Wednesday at 10:04 a.m., a computer crime was reported by a caller on South Taylor Road.
IN WEST GARDINER, Wednesday at 8:35 a.m., a well-being check was done on Melissa Drive.
IN ANSON, Wednesday at 2:08 p.m., an arrest was made aftr police received a report of a domestic disturbance on Pease Hill Road.
IN CANAAN, Wednesday at 11:38 a.m., a harassment complaint was taken on Main Street.
IN CHESTERVILLE, Wednesday at 3:43 p.m., a traffic accident involving an injury was reported on Vienna Road.
IN CLINTON, Wednesday at 7:18 p.m., a theft was investigated on Hinckley Road.
10:35 p.m., suspicious activity was investigated at Clinton Variety & Pizza on Main Street.
IN FAIRFIELD, Wednesday at 2:39 p.m., a civil complaint was taken on Main Street.
IN FARMINGTON, Wednesday at 2:41 p.m., a theft was reported on Perham Street.
4:52 p.m., a person was arrested on a warrant on Adams Circle.
6:31 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Voter Hill Road.
IN JAY, Wednesday at 2:20 p.m., a person was arrested on a warrant on Belanger Road.
3:30 p.m., a person was arrested on a warrant on Hyde Road.
Thursday at 12:22 a.m., a noise complaint was taken on Church Street.
IN MADISON, Wednesday at 9:40 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Thurston Hill Road.
IN NEW PORTLAND, Thursday at 12:47 a.m., a report of shots being fired was investigated on Middle Road.
IN OAKLAND, Wednesday at 5:04 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Kennedy Memorial Drive.
IN PITTSFIELD, Wednesday at 4:06 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Somerset Avenue.
6:13 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Waverly Street.
IN SKOWHEGAN, Wednesday at 11:12 a.m., suspicious activity was investigated on Mountain View Terrace.
1:14 p.m., a civil complaint was taken on West Front Street.
1:15 p.m., a civil complaint was taken on Water Street.
2:11 p.m., a person was taken to the hospital after a report of an all-terrain vehicle accident on East River Road.
4:52 p.m., a harassment complaint was investigated on Water Street.
7:49 p.m., a domestic disturbance was investigated on Bennett Avenue.
8:19 p.m., an arrest was made after police received a report of a person violating bail conditions.
Thursday at 12:59 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Waterville Road.
IN WATERVILLE, Wednesday at 9:04 a.m., a theft was reported on Water Street.
9:56 a.m., a theft was reported at the Hathaway House on Water Street.
10:47 a.m., a theft was reported on Water Street.
11:28 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Boutelle Avenue.
12:55 p.m., a report of threatening was taken on King Street.
3:25 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Mulberry Lane.
6:47 p.m., a theft was reported on High Street.
IN WINSLOW, Wednesday at 9:29 a.m., a report of fraud was taken on Meadowview Lane.
8:12 p.m., a person was arrested on a warrant on Ginger Avenue.
ARRESTS
IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, Wednesday at 4:16 p.m., William J. Farnam, 31, of Jay, was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear on a charge of failing to register a vehicle.
5:03 p.m., Omer Havtan, 21, of Farmington, was arrested on a warrant for violating condition of release.
IN SOMERSET COUNTY, Wednesday at 12:10 p.m., Joseph Debeck, 37, of Pittsfield, was arrested on a charge of unpaid fine for attaching false plates.
3:14 p.m., Bradley R. Bundy, 46, of Anson, was arrested on a charge of domestic violence assault.
5:24 p.m., Ty Donahue-Beard, 40, of Fairfield, was arrested on a warrant for domestic violence assault.
9:49 p.m., John P. Griffin, 45, was arrested on a probation hold.
Thursday at 12:23 a.m., Wesley K. Chalmers, 41, of Winslow, was arrested on charges of domestic violence assault and violating conditions of release.
1:28 a.m., Kelly A. Dyer, 42, of Fairfield, was arrested on charges of driving to endanger, failure to report an accident by quickest means, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, two counts of criminal mischief and operating under the influence.
IN WINSLOW, Wednesday at 9:25 p.m., Wesley K. Chalmers, 40, of Winslow, was arrested on a warrant.
SUMMONSES
IN WATERVILLE, Wednesday at 8:57 a.m., Jamie M. Harrison, 36, of Waterville, was summoned on charges of operating a vehicle without a license and failure to register a vehicle.
4:38 p.m., Joseph Dyer, 32, of Waterville, was summoned on a charge of theft of lost, mislaid or misdelivered property and violating condition of release.
Two Belgrade people were arrested after an altercation involving a dangerous weapon was reported Wednesday night on Warren Hill Road.
Heather Berube, 42, of Belgrade, was charged with domestic violence assault; while Jonathan Ayer, 20, of Belgrade, was charged with assault.
Police responded to a complaint around 9:40 p.m., but by the time they arrived at the property, the suspects were no longer there, Lt. Chris Read, of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, said Thursday in a news release.
Later, police officers arrested Berube and Ayer in Mercer, where they allegedly were found with a 9 mm pistol, Read said. They were arrested by members of the Maine State Police and Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.
The bail for each person was set at $750 cash, with conditions that they not have contact with the person identified as the victim, not return to the residence, and not possess a firearm, according to Read. Both suspects were taken to the Kennebec County jail in Augusta.
Police did not release additional details about the incident.
Westbrook police are searching for a man who robbed the Good Things Variety story on Saco Street at 12:48 p.m. Thursday.
Police also are investigating whether the robbery is related to others in the area.
The man entered the store, displayed a gun and fled the scene on West Valentine Street toward West Pleasant Street, Westbrook police said.
A police dog started to track the man, but he was not located, police said.
He was described as between 5 feet 7 inches and and 5 feet 9 iinches tall, with a skinny to medium build. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt or fleece vest with yellow lettering or a logo, and wore a mask, sunglasses and black and white New Balance shoes.
Anyone with information about the suspect’s identity or about the robbery should call Westbrook police at 854-0644. Anonymous tips can be left at 591-8117.
AUGUSTA — A Gardiner man was ordered to serve an initial year behind bars for unlawful trafficking in heroin and cocaine that occurred two years ago in Augusta.
Edwin Lazarus Lawrence, 25, also known as Eli, who had an address in Manhattan, New York, when he was indicted on those charges, had pleaded guilty Jan. 9 at the Capital Judicial Center to the two drug-trafficking charges. He also had pleaded guilty to an additional charge of refusing to submit to arrest or detention based on an incident that occurred March 7, 2017, also in Augusta.
In exchange for those pleas, other drug trafficking charges were dismissed. He was sentenced Thursday during a brief hearing in the same court and he agreed to forfeit $688 that had been seized from him in March. The drug charges were filed July 14, 2016.
Judge Eric Walker suspended the remainder of the five-year sentence while Lawrence spends two years on probation and fined him $400.
Assistant Attorney General Katie Sibley listed conditions of Lawrence’s probation, which prohibit him from using illegal drugs and from associating with anyone on probation without the permission of his probation officer.
Lawrence’s attorney, Kevin Sullivan, told the judge that Lawrence is scheduled to be back at the Augusta court next month for docket call on other charges.
They stem from an incident Jan. 13, when he was accused of threatening to shoot people in Gardiner. Lawrence is accused of burglary, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and violation of condition of release.
At the time, Gardiner police said he entered a residence and held three people there with what was later determined to be a replica of a gun.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
Maine’s supreme court has affirmed the murder conviction of a Portland man who fatally shot a man in 2014 and then fled the state.
Abdirahman Haji-Hassan of Portland contended that the trial judge erred by limiting some testimony and in instructions to the jury.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court rejected his appeal on Thursday.
Police say Haji-Hassan shot Richard Lobor, 23, during a dispute at another man’s apartment in Portland. Police say Lobor had stepped in between Haji-Hassan and a man who were arguing. Hassan is serving a 39-year sentence.
