The Maine Edge Criminal Mischief

Stop, car, stop! The light is red!

OLD TOWN – Blowing through a red light is never a good idea, especially when the cop going the other direction has the green.
Officer Josh Loring of the Old Town Police Department was stopped at a traffic light on Stillwater Ave. where it intersects with College Ave. when his light turned green and another car turned in front of him through the red light.
Loring pursued it and stopped the car as it turned into a car wash. He spoke with the driver, later identified as Charles Lecavalier, 21, of Old Town, and explained why he had stopped him. A records check revealed that Lecavalier’s license was suspended for failure to submit to a chemical test for an OUI charge, and he was on bail. He was arrested for violating his conditions of release and charged with operating with a suspended license and transported to Penobscot County Jail.

You never know who’s in the car behind you

BANGOR/BREWER – An off-duty state trooper called his on-duty compatriots to help him stop a Trenton man who was reportedly experiencing some road rage.
On June 28, off-duty Tpr. Bryan Creamer pulled out in front of another driver and that driver, later identified as Ricky Skillings, 56, of Trenton, responded by aggressively passing the off-duty trooper and then hitting his brakes, in what the trooper believed to be an attempt to have the trooper rear-end Skillings’ vehicle. According to Creamer, Skillings hit his brakes abruptly again on the on-ramp for I-395.
Creamer called in the incident and Penobscot County deputies stopped the vehicle. Skillings was summoned for driving to endanger.

DIY discount backfires

ORONO – A Veazie woman went to jail for allegedly trying to create her own discounts on booze she wasn’t supposed to be buying in the first place.
On June 27, around 8:27 p.m., Officer Peter Wentworh and Sgt. David Silk of the Orono Police Department were called to the Thriftway for a theft complaint. Store employees told officers that Danielle Celino, 25, of Veazie had reportedly swapped the price tags on liquor she was trying to buy.
A records check revealed that Celino was out on bail with conditions not to possess or consume alcohol and she also had an active warrant for failure to appear in court. She was arrested on the warrant and taken to jail, where she was charged with violation of conditions of release and theft by deception.

Expired registration leads to arrest

AMHERST – Not stopping for police rarely leads to improving the outcome of the situation.
On June 28, Sergeant Tim Varney arrested John Thompson, 33, of Amherst, on several charges. Varney had initially attempted to stop Thompson for an expired registration. Instead of stopping, he reportedly drove to his residence on Durham Lane. Once there, he was uncooperative and was taken into custody after a brief struggle, according to police.
Thompson was charged with refusing to submit to arrest, failure to stop and operating after suspension.

Have pot? Slow down

ORONO – A speeder ended up facing charges for possession of marijuana.
On June 27, around 8:05 p.m., Officer Cameron Barrio of the Orono Police Department stopped a vehicle on Park Street for speeding. He spoke with the driver, Anna Seavey, 22, and detected the odor of marijuana. The officer also noted that her inspection and registration had expired. She handed over a small baggie with marijuana.
She was summoned for possession of a useable amount of marijuana and warned for the other traffic offenses.

July 4 traffic enforcement

MAINE – Maine State Police say they plan several traffic enforcement efforts that will continue through the July 4th holiday weekend.
The chief of the State Police, Colonel Robert Williams, said troopers will be looking for aggressive, drunk and distracted drivers, speeders, those texting and those not wearing their seat belts.
“The July 4th holiday week is one of the busiest weeks on Maine roads, and the State Police goal is to make it a safe one. Troopers will be using the State Police plane, unmarked vehicles, additional troopers and several special enforcement efforts to keep the roads safe,” said Williams.
The colonel reminded Maine drivers that the July 4th week also is the start of the summer tourist season and that many vacationers may not be familiar with Maine roads and the routes to their destinations.  Troopers will do their best to assist those motorists, and the chief urged patience on the part of Maine drivers.
Williams said the additional enforcement efforts will continue through the summer as July and August are Maine’s deadliest months for traffic crashes.
Maine’s July 4th enforcement actions also coincide with increased traffic enforcement by New Hampshire and Massachusetts State Police.

Rite Aid on Union Street robbed

BANGOR – On May 21 around 4:25 p.m., Rite Aid on Union Street called to report that the store had been robbed. A pharmacist technician told a co-worker that a man was standing at the drive thru window and passed a note through the drawer demanding drugs and that he had a bomb. An undisclosed amount of prescription drugs was given to the man and he walked away. A search of the area yielded nothing at that time.

The man is described as about 6-feet tall, wearing a black ski mask and a blue/gray sweatshirt backwards with the hood up over his face, two slits cut out where his eyes are and wearing sunglasses. The suspect also was described as having salt and pepper hair.

Anyone with information about this incident or the identity of the suspect should call Detective Tim Cotton at 947-7382 or if you wish to remain anonymous press 6 to utilize the Tip Line.

Maine State Police make arrests after high speed chase

HANCOCK COUNTY – Maine State Police make arrests after high speed chase.

On Jan. 1, troopers responded to a citizen report of a vehicle on Route 182 in the Cherryfield area that matched the description of the vehicle that was believed to have been involved in an armed robbery in Ellsworth on Dec. 30, 2010.  The vehicle was a Silver Saab bearing Maine dealer plate 92K.  Tpr. Dave Barnard located the vehicle on Route 182 as it pulled into the parking area on Tunk Lake in Township 10.

Barnard made contact with the operator who refused to comply with Tpr. Barnard’s commands.  The vehicle then left the parking area and began traveling east on Route 182 at speeds in excess of 130 miles per hour.  The operator lost control of the vehicle at the intersection of the Eastbrook Road and Route 182 and the vehicle struck a utility pole.

The driver, later identified Hyunkook Korsiak, 29, of Harpswell, fled the scene on foot.  The passenger in the vehicle, Joseph Miller, 24, of Whitneyville, was located near the scene and was arrested for receiving stolen property (class B).  The investigation disclosed that the vehicle had been reported stolen from an auto dealership in Brunswick on Dec. 26, 2010.

A short time later, troopers received information that the driver (Korsiak) had stolen a second vehicle from a residence on the Eastbrook Road in Franklin.  It was determined that the vehicle was a red 1992 Saab belonging to a woman from Trenton.  Sgt. Glenn Moshier of the Ellsworth Police Department located the vehicle on Route 179 and attempted to stop the vehicle.

Korsiak again failed to stop and continued into Ellsworth.  Korsiak pulled into a driveway on State Street and was taken into custody without further incident.  Korsiak was charged with one count of theft by unlawful taking or transfer (class B), one count of theft by unlawful taking or transfer (class C), eluding (class C), passing a roadblock (class C), criminal speeding (class E) and driving to endanger (class E).

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and Ellsworth Police Department also assisted at the scene.      

The Maine State Police extended thanks to the concerned and alert citizen who reported the whereabouts of the vehicle.