2010 Crimees

A chance to look back, point, and laugh

By Katy England

edge staff writer

kengland@themaineedge.com

For the past four years I’ve been compiling local arrest reports from area law enforcement agencies. These stories range from the absurd to the tragic, but they have one thing in common – you can’t make this stuff up. Last year, we presented you with our first round of Crimees (Like the Emmies, but with crime) where we featured some of the silliest or spectacularly odd crimes of the year. Now it’s time to look back at 2010.

The hard part isn’t finding the funny or absurd crime – it’s trying to figure out which ones to leave out. I had more than enough for a feature length story by the time I had looked through February’s “Criminal Mischief.”

And the winners, or perhaps losers would be more apt, are:

Law enforcement job security

In a recession it’s good to know your job is secure, which is why it’s nice to have criminals like these:

On spring break? Forget to pack your pot plants?

ORONO – An Orono man will be returning to more than just his apartment after spring break.

On March 4, around 12:46 p.m., police were called to Orchard Trails apartments, building 11, after management had discovered contraband in the room. The management sends out notices about the inspection prior to break. When the maintenance person discovered damage on one of the armoires, he opened it and discovered two marijuana plants inside.

The plants had quite the set up, including a fan, a grow light and a timer, all covered by a tarp. Police seized the contraband.

Pay attention to your surroundings

OLD TOWN – A man smoking pot reportedly didn’t notice the police officer outside his window when he was allegedly taking a hit off his marijuana pipe.

On Jan. 21, around 9:38 p.m., Old Town police were dealing with a noise complaint when they noticed a vehicle running with three people inside. The officers approached and saw the driver deeply inhaling from the pipe. As the officer knocked on the window, the man exhaled, and because the window was open the officer could detect the odor of burnt marijuana.

The officer told the driver he was going to search the vehicle, at which point the Old Town man gave the police two glass marijuana pipes and a baggie with a usable amount of marijuana. One of the passengers had a baggie with marijuana “shake” or residue on his person. The driver also had a set of brass knuckles on his person, something he reportedly told police he knew was illegal. One of the passengers told police that one of the pipes belonged to him.

The driver was summoned for carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a usable amount of marijuana. The passenger was charged with sale and use of drug paraphernalia.

Not helping

CALAIS – Two men in separate vehicles are facing charges after they allegedly passed a Calais Fire Rescue emergency vehicle – you know, instead of pulling over.

On Jan. 4, a Maine State Trooper received a complaint from Calais Fire and Rescue that two vehicles had passed one of their vehicles while it was responding with lights on as ALS (advanced life support) to Pleasant Point Ambulance. They provided the registration numbers and as a result a man from Calais and another from Indian Township were summoned for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.

Finder’s fees

ORONO – Carrying around a fake ID is always risky – even more so when you lose your wallet and the police recover it.

On Feb. 13 around 8:45 a.m., a citizen turned over a found wallet to Orono Police. An officer was logging the contents of the wallet into the receipt and he recognized the woman in the license as a 20-year-old from Orono. He noted that the birthday that was currently on the license would make her 21, but the date in the locals and from the Department of Motor Vehicles showed her to be 20. He also noticed several discrepancies on the license that indicated it was fake, including a lack of holograms and incorrect coloration.

The officer went to the woman’s apartment and when she answered the door and saw the officer holding her wallet she reportedly exclaimed, “You found it!”

He confirmed that the wallet was hers, as was the ID, and when she confirmed that all the contents were intact he informed her that she would have to sign the property receipt and also sign the summons for possession of a false identification. She told the officer that she had hoped the police wouldn’t have looked at the license, and that she had never used it anywhere. The license was seized.

And the winner is:

K-9 training at high school turns up drugs

ORONO – A school employee is facing drug charges after a police training reportedly turned up marijuana in her car.

On April 26 around 10:34 a.m., The Orono Police Department and other area agencies were conducting a K-9 training at the Orono High School. They did a drug sweep of the lockers in the school and the cars parked outside. Two separate narcotics dogs indicated the presence of drugs inside the vehicle of an employee who worked at Orono High School.

The vehicle was searched, and authorities located two baggies of marijuana, rolling papers and a pipe with marijuana residue inside. The woman was summoned for possession of a usable amount of marijuana and sale and use of drug paraphernalia.

Oddities

Sometimes no crime has been committed, but that doesn’t make it any less funny.

New tricks

GRAND LAKE STREAM – Police had to remind a woman from Connecticut that she shouldn’t enter other people’s homes without consent – no matter how much she wants to walk the dog.

On July 27, a Maine State Trooper received a criminal trespass complaint from a woman in Grand Lake Stream that another woman from Connecticut had trespassed into her home to take the dog out for a walk.

The woman was warned about entering others’ homes without permission. She told police she was concerned for the dog because he was barking and crying and she hadn’t seen anyone there in three days.

Lost and found

OLD TOWN – Someone called to report that her car had been stolen from the YMCA parking lot on Jan. 27 around 5:18 p.m. A few moments later the party called back and told police that the vehicle was where she had parked it.

And the winner is:

Catfight? Not exactly

OLD TOWN – Police responded to a 911 hang-up call that turned out to be quite innocuous.

On Feb. 17, around 8:30 a.m., dispatch received a hang-up call that also sounded like someone struggling. When the officer arrived at the address, he saw a woman talking on the cell phone. She was speaking with another officer on the phone and police learned that she had called dispatch in order to contact the fire department because three cats were stuck in a tree. While she was on the phone, one of the felines jumped on her head, causing her to drop the phone.

She and the cats were fine.

Dirty, rotten scoundrels

Though we can pretty much agree that all crime is bad, some deeds are just so dastardly you can’t wait for the jerk to get caught. Unfortunately, these happen far too often.

Worse than rain on a wedding day

BROOKSVILLE – A thief allegedly stooped pretty low: stealing money out of wedding cards.

On Oct. 20, Tpr. Greg Roy received a theft complaint from Brooksville. The caller reported that her son had been married last Saturday and someone had taken a considerable amount of money out of the cards that had been left on the gift table at his reception.

And the winner is:

Stealing Christmas

BANGOR – Police have seized thousands of dollars in diverted toys that were located at Bangor Residence. Police said that a volunteer for Toys For Tots had been taking the toys and selling them online.

You can’t make this stuff up

When someone does something so bizarre you have to read the story twice just to make sure you got it right the first time.

Road rage + bow and arrow = felony

BANGOR – A man who allegedly brandished a bow and arrow during a road rage incident is facing felony threatening charges.

On Jan. 22, around 3:58 p.m., Bangor officers responded to a threatening call in the area of the Finson Road.

Several witnesses reported they were driving in their car on Union Street when they noticed a vehicle driving erratically. As the witnesses pulled alongside the Holden man, one of the young men yelled to him to “stop texting.” This prompted the other driver to allegedly throw an object from his vehicle into the witness’ vehicle. Both cars ended up on the Finson Road when the Holden man exited his vehicle to confront the people in the other car, displaying a bow and arrow in a threatening manner, which prompted them call to police. No one was injured.

The suspect was subsequently arrested and charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, a class C felony, and driving to endanger.

Maine chainsaw weirdness

BREWER – A man brought a chainsaw to a fight and ended up going to jail.

On Sept. 5, around 8:30 p.m., a Brewer police officer responded to the report of a man chasing people with a chainsaw.

When the officer arrived, he spoke with the 26-year-old Brewer man, who no longer had the chainsaw. Police learned that the suspect had been in a fight previously and had used the chainsaw to scare people off. He had put the chainsaw in the basement before police arrived. Police learned he had also struck his girlfriend during the fight.

He was arrested, taken to Penobscot County Jail and charged with domestic assault and aggravated reckless conduct.

Don’t bring a knife to a sword fight

FRANKLIN – A man in Franklin reportedly turned the tables on a man who threatened him with a knife by fighting back with a sword.

On Jan. 25, Maine State Troopers responded to a residence in Franklin where a caller reported that he had been in an altercation with a 39-year-old Birch Harbor man.

Police learned that the suspect had threatened the other man with a knife and had been struck in the head with a sword during the fight. The suspect then fled the scene, despite his wounds.

Troopers located him at relative’s house in Birch Harbor.

He was charged with violation of conditional release, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and criminal trespass.

Getting sloshed in the more literal sense

LAMOINE – An Ellsworth woman was arrested for operating under the influence after she allegedly drove her vehicle into the ocean.

On March 24, a Maine State Trooper responded to a single vehicle accident in Lamoine. The investigation disclosed that a 23-year-old Ellsworth woman was operating her 1998 Subaru Legacy on the Lamoine Beach Road in Lamoine with a passenger. She was unfamiliar with the area and failed to stop at the end of the beach road, reportedly driving across the beach and into the ocean. She and her passenger were able to escape from the vehicle through an open window and swim to shore. The woman was arrested for operating under the influence and was transported to the Hancock County Jail where an Intoxilyzer test was administered.

Designate a driver when travelling to PD

BANGOR – A Bangor woman reportedly drove to the police station intoxicated.

Police said that a 49-year-old female from Bangor drove to the Bangor Police Station on June 13 around 6:30 p.m. with a relative. She requested that officers “do something” with said relative, claiming the person had a problem with drugs.

As an officer spoke with her, he noted the odor of alcohol and administered a field sobriety test. She was subsequently given an Intoxilyzer test which indicated she was over the legal limit. She was summoned for operating under the influence.

And the winner is:

Drunk driver doesn’t stop for crash, stops for take-out

SURRY – A Brooklin man is facing felony OUI charges after allegedly running another vehicle off the road, causing its occupants to require hospitalization. He reportedly continued to drive his car to pick up his dinner at a take-out restaurant in Blue Hill, nine miles from the scene of the crash.

On April 25, a Maine State trooper investigated a serious injury crash that occurred on Rt-172 in Surry. The investigation revealed that a 65-year old Brooklin man was operating his red 2010 Ford F-250 south on Rt-172. Another man and his wife in a black Honda Civic were also traveling south on Rt-172, just ahead of the suspect. The Brooklin man reportedly rear-ended the Civic at a high rate of speed, causing it to roll over several times before coming to rest on its hood in the roadway. The driver and his wife were both injured in the crash and transported by ambulance to the Maine Coast Memorial Hospital.

After the crash, the suspect drove away from the scene without stopping. He pulled into the Fish Net take-out in Blue Hill, approximately 9.3 miles from the scene of the crash, where he intended to get some supper, according to police.

Another trooper located the man at the take-out. The trooper also located the rear bumper of the Honda Civic imbedded in the grill of his truck.

The man was arrested for aggravated operating under the influence, aggravated assault and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident.

That’s just gross

People who need to learn to keep it in their pants.

Stop peeing everywhere

ORONO – A man who decided to make the lawn of the Alumni Center his bathroom was summoned on alcohol charges.

An Orono Police officer was on patrol on College Avenue when he observed a man urinating outside of the Buchanan Alumni Building. The officer stopped and approached the man, who was still peeing, and asked him about his behavior. The 19-year-old Eliot man claimed he could not make it back to his dorm room and decided to relive himself where he was.

The officer noted that he appeared to be intoxicated and smelled of alcohol. The man reportedly admitted to consuming two beers and was summoned for illegal possession of alcohol by consumption.

And the winner is:

From PG to X

ORONO – There are some things no one wants to see in 3D at a PG movie, and some middle-aged guy’s junk is probably on the list.

On Aug. 10, around 1:54 p.m., police were called to Spotlight Cinemas on Stillwater Avenue to deal with a man who was reportedly passed out in the theatre with his genitals exposed. A patron had alerted management to the man at the end of the screening of “Cats vs. Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore,” a PG movie.

Police entered the theater and saw a 49-year-old Canadian man who appeared asleep and was letting it all hang out. Police said that he had two beers near him and another one in his hand. When an officer woke him up, the man spilled the beer on himself and also tried to cover his exposed genitals with his hands. Officers advised him to place his penis back into his pants and informed him he was under arrest.

The manager of the theater told police that he had been informed of the man after the movie let out. He was deeply offended and wanted him removed immediately.

To make matters worse, a bus load of kids ages 8 to 14 had attended the movie from the Medway Rec Department.

He was charged with indecent conduct and police confirmed that he was on probation for similar actions.