CORNISH

Deputies arrest local man in burglary of jewelry store

A 22-year-old man from Cornish is being held in the York County Jail on burglary charges.

Scott Michael Stevens was arrested by sheriff’s deputies around 8:40 Sunday night. Police allege that Stevens broke into Village Jewelers in Cornish by smashing open the front door of the business.

Deputies said they responded to the burglar alarm and saw Stevens walking in the vicinity of the business. When Deputy Kevin Ledoux approached Stevens he threw objects from his pockets into the snow, police said.

Ledoux detained Stevens, searched the area, and recovered about $1,200 worth of jewelry. Stevens was being held in the jail Monday night on $1,000 bail.

 

PORTLAND

Police probe death of man found on Oxford Street

Police are investigating the death of a man whose body was found on Oxford Street on Monday morning.

The man, apparently in his 40s, was found outdoors on the 200 block of Oxford Street, police said. There were no signs of a crime.

The state medical examiner has been asked to determine the cause of the man’s death and confirm his identity, police said.

Two arrested for drugs in separate incidents

Police made two drug trafficking arrests near the bus station on Sewall Street over the weekend.

Shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday, an officer was headed to the bus station when he stopped a car that went through a red light, police said. The driver, Leon A. Nelson, 32, of Boston, was found with 424 oxycodone pills that were not prescribed to him, police said. Oxycodone sells illicitly for about $1 per milligram, so the drugs would have been worth about $12,000 on the street.

About midnight, police interviewed a man who was walking from the bus station. They say Christopher Palmer, 22, of Gray was on probation and initially gave a false name. He was taken to the Cumberland County Jail, where he turned over an ounce of crack cocaine, police said.

The arrests are part of an ongoing effort to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the state, said Maine Drug Enforcement Agency supervisor Sgt. Kevin Cashman.

PERU

Snowe cites support in call for review of Afghan forces

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe said she is gaining support in her call for a federal review of security forces in Afghanistan in response to the killing of a soldier from Maine and five others soldiers by an Afghan recruit during training exercises.

Buddy McLain, 24, of Peru and the other soldiers from the Army’s 101st Airborne Division were killed on Nov. 29. Snowe, a Republican, said she wants to ensure that Afghan security forces are not a threat to U.S. personnel.

Snowe said her effort is backed by Army officials and Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan.

AUGUSTA

Snow removal project foils suspect’s attempt to flee

An Augusta man’s attempt to flee from police Sunday was foiled by a snow removal project, police said.

Jesse L. Baker, 27, was charged with failing to stop for an officer, driving to endanger, driving without a license and violating probation. He also was issued a summons charging him with unlawful drug possession.

Baker was being held Monday in the Kennebec County jail on $500 bail on the driving violations. He was being held without bail on the violation probation, said officials.

Baker was arrested around 11 p.m. Sunday, after police received a complaint from another driver that a vehicle was being driven on the wrong side of the road in the Willow Street area, said police Sgt. Christopher Massey. Officers found the vehicle on Cony Street.

Baker fled from police on Cony Street onto Bridge Street, where Augusta Public Works crews were pushing snowbanks into the middle of the street for removal.

“They had snow in the middle of the road and the vehicle got stuck in the snow,” Massey said.

Votes expected this week on supplemental budget

Votes on a state budget for the rest of this fiscal year are expected this week, now that the budget has received unanimous support from a legislative committee.

The Appropriations Committee late Friday approved the spending update for the year ending June 30. The budget is expected to receive quick House and Senate approval. It could come up for votes today.

Gov. Paul LePage’s supplemental budget would pay down a large portion of the state’s Medicaid debt to hospitals, conform state and federal tax provisions and account for increased enrollments in MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program.

WINDHAM

Police seek information about robbery of store

Police have released a sketch of the man who robbed the Cigarette Shop at 778 Roosevelt Trail a week ago.

A witness helped police create the sketch of the man, who they say threatened a store employee at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 30 with his hand in his pocket suggesting he had a gun. He got away with a small amount of cash.

Witnesses said the man was 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, weighed 250 to 270 pounds and wore blue jeans, white sneakers, a blue thigh-length hooded coat with an unknown logo on the left pocket area, an orange ski mask and work gloves.

A witness saw him take off his mask as he left the store, and security video caught an image of his car leaving through the Walmart parking lot and then toward Landing Road. The car was a 2000 blue Dodge Caravan or Chrysler Voyager.

Police ask that anyone with information about the robbery call Detective Raymond Williams at 892-191, ext. 4414, or e-mail rswilliams@town.windham.me.us.