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 145 calls for service in the period of July 17-23. The following is a highlight of those incidents.
July 17
– Trooper Kilcollins investigated a scam that occurred in Woodland. The complainant was selling a vehicle and the buyer contacted him electronically (not in person) and made arrangements to buy the vehicle. The buyer sent the man a check which he cashed and sent $2000 back to the buyer. A few days later the man’s bank contacted him telling him the check is invalid. Trooper Kilcollins explained the scam to the man and told him how to avoid losing money in the future.
July 19
– Cpl. Michaud warned a Washburn man for trespassing after a neighbor complained the man was using his backyard as a shortcut to get to another piece of property. The complainant also stated that the male subject had appeared at times to be looking inside his window. The man denied looking in the windows and agreed to stay off the property, although he disputed the man owned the property he was walking on.
July 20
– Trooper Kilcollins observed a vehicle with an expired inspection certificate on U.S. Route 11 in Masardis. After stopping the vehicle Trooper Kilcollins discovered the female driver had a suspended driver’s license for failing to make required payment of fines and costs. Trooper Kilcollins issued the woman a traffic summons for the inspection violation and for the OAS (infraction). The woman was less than 100 feet from her residence and was permitted to drive the vehicle into her driveway.
– Trooper Curtin arrested a Fort Kent man after it had been reported he had broken into his parent’s home. Trooper Curtin found the man inside the home. He had kicked in a door to gain entry to the house. The man was arrested inside the home, and ultimately transported to Northern Maine Medical Center. The male subject appeared to be under the influence of drugs and was acting very strange.
– Trooper Curtin responded to a Frenchville residence late Thursday evening when a woman reported that her brother had punched her boyfriend in the face. The brother left the scene prior to Trooper Curtin’s arrival. With the assistance of Warden Adrien Marquis, the subject was located and ultimately charged with assault.
– Cpl. Michaud stopped a Presque Isle woman after he saw her looking down towards her lap and driving in and out of the breakdown lane on U.S. Route 1. The woman had been changing songs on her phone which was what had distracted her from driving. A license check revealed the woman’s driver license was under suspension for a conviction of driving without insurance. The woman for cited for failing to maintain control of her motor vehicle and driving on a suspended license.
July 22
– Sgt. Clark was driving on the Centerline Road in Presque Isle and observed a vehicle driving faster than the posted speed limit. He stopped the vehicle and the woman stated she was test driving the vehicle from a private seller. During the course of the stop Sgt. Clark discovered the woman did not have a valid driver’s license, had no insurance, and had illegally attached the registration plates to the vehicle. The woman was issued criminal summonses for driving without a license and falsely attaching registration plates and traffic summonses for speeding and not having valid insurance. Sgt. Clark had the vehicle towed from the roadway.
– Trooper Saucier pulled over two vehicles for speeding in Island Falls. After speaking with one of the operators, Trooper Saucier determined that the operator had been drinking. After failing field sobriety test, and showing signs of impairment, the operator was arrested, transported to jail, and charged with OUI.
July 23
– Cpl. Quint responded to a residence on the Snow Road in Bridgewater for a trespassing complaint. The homeowner was near the kitchen and observed a man standing in the house. The man ran from the house and the homeowner called the state police. The woman’s husband went looking for the man and found him just as Cpl. Quint was arriving. The homeowners declined pursuing criminal charges against the man. The man is currently on adult probation, was intoxicated, and claimed he was trying to find his way home from a friend’s house. The man was taken home and will report to his probation officer Monday.
– Trooper Desrosier issued a civil summons to a woman under the age of 21 for possession of marijuana following a traffic stop. The woman was swerving on the roadway when she was stopped by Trooper Desrosier. The woman said she had just broken up with her boyfriend and was crying. Trooper Desrosier determined she was not impaired by the drug at the time of the stop.
