Editor’s Note: An arrest or summons does not constitute a finding of guilt. An individual charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at criminal proceedings.
The Maine State Police Troop F barracks in Houlton responded to 140 calls for service from Sunday, August 21 to Saturday, August 27. The following incidents were among those addressed:
Monday, August 22
– Tr. Saucier investigated the theft of an Old Town canoe from Mattawamkeag Lake. The canoe had been recently stolen from the lake and the investigation is ongoing.
– Tr. Pescitelli was on patrol in Easton when he came across a vehicle parked on the side of Route 10. Tr. Pescitelli stopped to see if the motorist needed assistance. The operator and three passengers were looking for the operator’s boyfriend who they hadn’t heard from that day. Upon further investigation it was discovered that one of the passengers in the vehicle had a warrant for their arrest. Tr. Pescitelli arrested the passenger and the operator made contact with her boyfriend.
Tuesday, August 23
– Cpl. Hafford responded to Sinclair for reported criminal mischief damage done to a vehicle. Cpl. Hafford summonsed a 39-year-old male for taking a baseball bat to a loaner car that his ex-girlfriend was using and causing approximately $3,000 damage to it.
– Cpl. Quint issued a criminal summons to a 60-year-old male that was criminally speeding in front of the high school in Easton. Cpl. Quint was on a traffic enforcement detail and was conducting stationary enforcement in front of the high school, which is posted at 25 mph. School was in session at the time of the incident and it was during lunch time with students coming and going from the parking lot.
– Tr. Bell was parked in Amity observing traffic and saw a vehicle pass by with a male driving and a female passenger. Tr. Bell ran the plate and discovered a possible protection order violation and proceeded to try to catch up to the vehicle to determine if a violation was taking place. Upon catching up to the car it turned into a driveway. Tr. Bell waited down the road and within several minutes the car was observed now with the female driving and the male as passenger. Tr. Bell initiated a traffic stop and discovered that the female’s driver’s license was expired and the male was under suspension. As a result the male passenger was summonsed for OAS because he was observed driving previously, and the female driver was summonsed for operating with an expired license over 90 days.
– Tr. Endre was at the intersection of Route 2 and 212 in Smyrna and witnessed a female who he knew to be suspended, drive by. Tr. Endre initiated a traffic stop and the female subsequently admitted that she knew didn’t have an active license and that she was in fact driving. The female was summonsed for criminal operating after suspension.
Wednesday, August 24
– Tr. Endre was northbound on U.S. Route 1 in Monticello when he stopped a motor vehicle for speeding. The operator had a suspended license; the male was summonsed criminally for operating after suspension.
– Tr. Endre stopped a vehicle on Route 1 in Monticello. The operator’s license had been expired for more than 90 days. The female operator was summonsed criminally for operating with an expired license. The passenger of the vehicle had an active warrant; she was arrested and transported to the Aroostook County Jail.
– Tr. Bell stopped a vehicle in Houlton due to prior knowledge that the owner hadn’t registered his vehicle in Maine after becoming a resident. The male driver had been warned in the past and failed to comply voluntarily. The male admitted to living in Maine since September 2015, and was given a summons for a resident failing to register a motor vehicle in Maine within 150 days of becoming a resident.
Thursday, August 25
– Tr. Luce assisted Adult Probation and Parole with a home check in Frenchville. During the check Tr. Luce noticed the female probationer had been consuming liquor and could smell it emitting from her person. Using a Portable Breath Test Tr. Luce learned the woman had been drinking alcohol and had a BAC of 0.22 percent. The woman told Tr. Luce she only had one 24-ounce beer. She was arrested and transported to the Caribou Police Department where the Probation Officer had her booked in and held for a probation violation.
– Tr. Casavant began an investigation in Mapleton into the theft of a video game unit. A homeowner had allowed someone to stay with her for a period of time and when he left, the unit was discovered missing. The investigation is ongoing.
Friday, August 26
– Tr. Sucy investigated a crash where a 16 -year-old male with an interim driver’s license lost control of his vehicle and went off the roadway. The juvenile admitted to driving at least 55 mph in a posted 35-mph zone in Sherman. There were no injuries or damage to the vehicle.
– Tr. Casavant was called to a home that was being demolished in Woodland. The people tearing down the home found a safe in the walls, and were concerned it might be have been stolen. It appeared the safe had been built into the walls of the home and nothing suspicious was found.
Saturday, August 27
– Cpl. Quint represented the State Police during Houlton Safety Days, an event focused on safety and education for children and adults. Cpl. Quint used the impaired/distracted driving simulator provided by the Maine Department of Highway Safety to show the dangers of impaired and distracted driving.
