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.
HOULTON, Maine — The Maine State Police Troop F barracks in Houlton responded to a number of calls for service during the period of March 9-15, including the following.
Tuesday, March 10
PATTEN: Tr. Cotton was patrolling Main Street in Patten looking for a male subject with an active warrant. Tr. Cotton went to an address the male frequented and contacted the owner in residence. After a brief investigation, Tr. Cotton was not able to locate the male, but did locate a female who had an active warrant. She was transported to the Penobscot County Jail without incident.
PATTEN: Tr. Cotton was able to interview most of the people involved in a misuse of public benefits case he has been working on. Ultimately, the owner of the EBT card confessed that he had been letting people use it. He was charged with misuse of public benefits. More charges are expected in the future.
Thursday, March 12
PATTEN: State Police were called to a burglary in Patten where the victim reported a large quantity of tools and other assorted items stolen from his garage. During the subsequent investigation a search warrant was obtained for the residence of 47-year-old Greg Young in Patten. Troopers and Maine Forest Rangers executed the warrant on March 13 and recovered over $3,000 of stolen property. Young was arrested and transported to the Penobscot County Jail, where he was charged with burglary, theft and violation of a protection order.
Friday, March 13
MAPLETON: Tr. Martin responded to the town of Mapleton for a two-vehicle crash. The investigation revealed that Victoria Butterfield was traveling north on the Mapleton Road in Mapleton. The snow and rain had caused slush to form in the roadway and she had been pulled into it. Butterfield attempted to pull out of it and overcorrected, lost control of her vehicle and crossed over into the southbound lane. Jessica Libby was traveling south, noticed Butterfield and attempted to avoid the crash. Libby was unable to avoid Butterfield and struck the passenger side of the vehicle. Both operators were transported to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
FORT KENT: Tr. Desrosier was traveling through the town of Fort Kent and conducted a traffic stop on a pickup for a defect. Tr. Desrosier approached the driver’s door and observed four high-school-aged people sitting in the back seat. No one claimed to have been driving. After talking with all the parties involved, Tr. Desrosier learned who the driver was and that his license was under suspension. Tr. Desrosier summonsed the operator for operating after suspension and arranged for a licensed driver to remove the vehicle.
Saturday, March 14
MADAWASKA: Tr. Desrosier was traveling through Madawaska and came upon a vehicle that was stuck in the snow that was in the roadway. Tr. Desrosier stopped to assist the operator. Tr. Desrosier detected the odor of alcohol coming from the driver and ran him through standardized field sobriety tests. Tr. Desrosier placed the man under arrest for operating under the influence and transported him to the Madawaska PD, where the man was able to make bail.
CROSS LAKE: Trooper Matt Curtin responded along with Cpl. Chuck Michaud to a crash on Rt 161 in Cross Lake. Within minutes several more cars collided. In total there were five vehicles involved in three separate crashes. Two people were transported from the scene via ASI Ambulance Service to the Fort Kent hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. One person was complaining of pain but was not transported. DOT, Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office and North Lakes Fire assisted with traffic and a temporary detour. At least three other crashes occurred around The County due to wind blowing snow across the roadway; one in Woodland and two in Westfield.
Case Update
An extensive bank robbery investigation that began on Feb. 12, 2019, when the East Mill Credit Union in Patten was robbed, was led by Tr. Tim Saucier with the assistance of multiple state, federal and county agencies and ended with the arrest of 60-year-old Bryan Ingalls of Patten. During the course of the investigation, multiple search warrants were executed and a portion of the money stolen was recovered. The arrest and successful resolution of this case was largely credited to the helpful citizens and witnesses in the community who came forward to assist investigators. Ingalls plead guilty on March 3, 2020, to the robbery and witness tampering charges in Bangor Superior Court and was sentenced by Justice William Anderson to six years, all suspended but three, followed by two years of probation and payment of restitution.
