BROOKS

Affidavit: Suspect said wife complained about his truck

Additional Photos

Bridgton police officer T.J. Reese is seen with marijuana seized in a raid on a Bridgton home. Officials seized 18 pounds of marijuana and 145 pot plants. The Associated Press

A man from Brooks who is charged with shooting his wife to death told another man that she had been giving him a hard time about a muffler he had bought for his truck, court documents indicate.

Affidavits filed Monday as Michael Littlefield, 48, made his initial court appearance indicate he also told the man that he thought about taking his own life after the shooting, but couldn’t work up the nerve to do it.

A judge ordered Littlefield held in jail until a bail revocation hearing on Thursday.

State police say Deborah Littlefield, 49, was shot in the head on Friday. Littlefield was found and arrested about 5 miles away. Police say a rifle that is believed to have been used in the killing was recovered.

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

Gun supporters to protest law on carrying firearms

The Maine Open Carry Association plans a picnic in Acadia National Park on July 11 to protest a new state law that limits the possession of firearms in the park.

Under the law, which takes effect July 12, a gun is allowed in the park if:

• It is carried by a qualified current or retired law enforcement officer.

• It is in a motor vehicle and rendered temporarily inoperable or packed away so it cannot be used immediately.

• It is concealed and carried by a person who has a concealed-weapons permit.

The Legislature passed the law in April, two months after a federal law took effect allowing owners to take guns into national parks as long as state law doesn’t say otherwise.

Sen. Dennis Damon, D-Trenton, proposed a bill that would have outlawed all firearms in the park, which was the state’s policy before the new federal law took effect.

The picnic hosted by the Maine Open Carry Association is scheduled for 1 p.m.

“The event will be typical everyday Americans showing that there is no reason for there to be an open-carry ban in Acadia,” said Shane Belanger, the association’s founder.

AUGUSTA

Search goes on for suspect in triple slaying in Amity

The search continued Monday for a person who is wanted for questioning in a triple slaying in northern Maine as the state police crime lab examined a pickup truck that belonged to one of the victims.

Police say the pickup truck was set on fire in Weston, about 15 miles from a home in Amity where the three bodies were discovered last week. Killed were Jeffrey Ryan, 55, and his 10-year-old son, Jesse, who lived at the home, and Jason Dehahn, 30, a neighbor.

State police spokesman Steve McCausland said investigators believe the pickup was taken from the crime scene by a “person of interest” in the killings.

McCausland said Monday that a team of detectives continued to work on the case but he declined to offer specifics on progress.

Two Democrats endorse Cutler in race for governor

Two Democratic legislators are endorsing independent Eliot Cutler for Maine governor, saying he is best qualified for the office.

Sen. Dennis Damon of Trenton, who has co-chaired the Legislature’s Marine Resources and Transportation committees, and Rep. Leila Percy of Phippsburg, a Marine Resources co-chair, announced their endorsements Sunday.

Their announcements did not mention their party’s nominee, Senate President Elizabeth “Libby” Mitchell.

Last week, Mitchell won endorsements from the Maine AFL-CIO and the Maine Education Association.

Also running is Republican Paul LePage and two other independents.

BRIDGTON

Police raid seizes marijuana, plants at Beartrap Road home

Police seized 18 pounds of marijuana and 145 pot plants during a raid on a house at 139 Beartrap Road.

Bridgton police, a state police trooper and an Oxford County sheriff’s searched the home at 7:20 p.m. Saturday, after an investigation by Bridgton Officer T.J. Reese. One pound of the marijuana was packaged for sale, and the processed marijuana seized was worth $51,000, police said.

Police charged Robert F. Murphy, 55, and Cynthia M. Murphy, 52, with cultivating marijuana and drug trafficking. They are scheduled to appear in court in Portland on Sept. 2.

YARMOUTH

Postal Service to offer Clam Festival postmark July 16, 17

The U.S. Postal Service says it will offer a special postmark celebrating the annual Yarmouth Clam Festival.

At this year’s festival, July 16-18, people are invited to bring stamped envelopes and have them postmarked by post office workers, who will set up on a lawn outside North Yarmouth Academy on Main Street. The postmarks will be available from 4 to 8 p.m. on July 16 and noon to 5 p.m. on July 17.

The postmark shows a clam and the giant elm in Yarmouth named “Herbie,” which grew to be the largest American elm in New England before being cut down in January.

Nonprofit gives $100 ‘Future’ awards to 145 young students

The Maine College Circle has awarded “Future of Maine” scholarships to 145 elementary and middle school students across the state.

For 15 years, the Yarmouth-based nonprofit, in partnership with businesses and civic groups, has held school workshops to promote college aspirations among young students.

Many participants submit college scholarship application essays, which identify colleges, majors and careers of interest. Each selected applicant receives a $100 College Aspirations Scholarship.

FALMOUTH

West Falmouth Primary Care opens, family practice center

Mercy Health System opened a new family practice Monday.

West Falmouth Primary Care is at 66 Leighton Road. Its staff specializes in primary and preventive care, according to the hospital.

Mercy has been expanding outpatient clinics and services while cutting staffing at its Portland hospitals. A primary and express care center opened recently in Gorham, and another is scheduled to open early next year in the Yarmouth-Cumberland area.

CARIBOU

Delaware youth, 14, dies in all-terrain vehicle accident

A 14-year-old boy from Delaware died after the all-terrain vehicle he was riding went off a trail and hit a tree, the Maine Warden Service says.

Kyle Hebert of Bear, Del., was riding on a sanctioned ATV trail in Caribou about 1:45 p.m. Sunday when he veered off a railroad bed and hit some trees. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Wardens say Kyle was riding with his grandfather and an older brother. They were on three machines. A younger brother was riding with their grandfather.

Officials say Kyle was not wearing a helmet and speed may have played a role in the crash.

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