LAMOINE

Neighbor: Man slain Tuesday feared son might kill him

A neighbor says a Lamoine man who was fatally shot by his son recently told him he was afraid his son might kill him.

Maine State Police on Wednesday were back at the scene of a double homicide in Lamoine to determine what caused Leon Tilden, 27, to fatally shoot his father, Robert Tilden, and his uncle, Russell Pinkham, who were both 50.

After the shootings early Tuesday morning, Leon Tilden was fatally wounded during an armed confrontation with troopers.

A neighbor, Stan Olencki, told the Bangor Daily News that he recently talked to Robert Tilden while Leon Tilden was firing a gun in the woods. Olencki said that’s when the older Tilden told him in all seriousness he was afraid his son was going to kill him.

Advertisement

BALDWIN

Two men taken to hospitals after fiery pre-dawn crash

Two people were taken to the hospital following a fiery crash Wednesday morning.

A 1997 Pontiac driven by Tylor McKenzie, 24, of Hiram crossed the center line on Route 113 near Douglas Hill Road and collided with a 2000 box truck driven by Walter Stickney, 65, of Baldwin, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

The collision caused the front of the truck to erupt into flames but Stickney escaped out the passenger side door. McKenzie was trapped but the car was not near the flames and firefighters were able to extricate him.

Both men were taken to the hospital, the sheriff’s office said. McKenzie was treated and released from Maine Medical Center. Stickney was taken to Mercy Hospital with minor injuries.

Advertisement

The fire destroyed the truck’s engine compartment and cab, police said.

Investigators have not been able to talk to McKenzie and do not know yet what caused his car to cross the center line in the pre-dawn accident.

Route 113 was closed for about 90 minutes; traffic was detoured around the crash on local roads, the sheriff’s office said.

PORTLAND

Biddeford man pleads guilty to possession of child porn

A Biddeford man has pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of child pornography.

Advertisement

Paul R. Rouselle, 45, entered his plea on Tuesday. He will face as much as 10 years in prison at sentencing, scheduled for Feb. 6.

Federal prosecutors say Homeland Security investigators in February learned that child pornography was being made available for sharing on the Internet from an IP address in Biddeford.

Authorities searched Rouselle’s home in May and seized computers that had hundreds of videos of minors involved in sexually explicit conduct.

Rouselle was arrested in Guam several days later. Investigators say he had bought a one-way ticket from Portland to the Philippines.

 

Art museum expands hours for visitors to Homer exhibit

Advertisement

The Portland Museum of Art is expanding its hours to accommodate interest in the “Weatherbeaten: Winslow Homer and Maine” exhibition.

The museum will be open until 9 p.m. Nov. 24-25 during Thanksgiving weekend. From Dec. 13 through Dec. 29, the museum will extend hours until 8 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday nights.

Reservations are recommended, and there is a $5 surcharge. The show will be on view through Dec. 30.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.

Maine-owned tugboat sinks; two climb to safety on barge

Authorities say two people are safe after escaping from a tugboat that sank in the Piscataqua River.

Advertisement

The two were able to get onto a barge that is working on the new Memorial Bridge between Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine.

Steve Achilles, assistant fire chief in Portsmouth, said the tugboat went down between two barges Wednesday afternoon.

The tugboat is known as the Benjamin Bailey and is owned by Ken Anderson Riverside & Pickering Marine Contractors in Eliot, Maine.

FARMINGTON

Jay man pleads guilty to 10 sex charges involving minors

A Jay man has pleaded guilty to 10 sex charges against two Franklin County girls who were under the age of 16 at the time of the offenses.

Advertisement

Joshua Welch’s trial was scheduled to start Monday, but instead he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of unlawful sexual contact. The state dismissed a charge of gross sexual assault in the plea agreement.

Police arrested Welch, 31, in August 2011. He was indicted on one charge of gross sexual assault and 10 counts of unlawful sexual contact in January. The incidents occurred between Jan. 1, 2007, and Aug. 15, 2011.

Welch’s sentencing has not been scheduled. The Sun Journal reports he faces a sentence of up to 10 years on each charge. He is being held without bail pending sentencing.

AUGUSTA

Police nab alleged robber locked in pharmacy restroom

A pharmacy was evacuated after a man who demanded prescription drugs barricaded himself inside the store’s bathroom and claimed he had explosive chemicals.

Advertisement

Police say Dylan Karczewski, 19, went to the Rite Aid about 5 p.m. Tuesday and demanded drugs.

After he was given the prescription medication, he ran to the bathroom and locked himself inside.

Police say officers evacuated the store as a precaution, then broke into the bathroom and took the suspect into custody about 5:30 p.m. There was no evidence Karczewski possessed any explosive chemicals. Police did find some of the drugs allegedly stolen.

He was charged with theft and robbery. No one was hurt.

DOVER-FOXCROFT

Milo ex-manager sentenced for taking Kiwanis Club funds

Advertisement

The former town manager of Milo has been sentenced to two months in jail for stealing nearly $50,000 from the Kiwanis Club where he was treasurer.

Jeffrey Gahagan was sentenced Tuesday in Piscataquis County Superior Court. He pleaded guilty in August.

Prosecutors say Gahagan, 57, had been using the Three Rivers Kiwanis Club as his personal bank for years, borrowing money and often redepositing it without anyone knowing. He used the stolen money for personal expenses, and even spent nearly $17,000 at a Bangor casino.

Most of the money has been repaid.

The Bangor Daily News reported that Gahagan apologized in court and said he was “ashamed, embarrassed, disappointed and full of remorse.”

Gahagan resigned as town manager in April during the investigation into the missing funds.

Advertisement

BANGOR

Accomplice in break-in at Stairs’ home gets 4 months

A woman who pleaded guilty to breaking into several homes, including that of retired Major League Baseball player Matt Stairs, has been sentenced to four months in jail and ordered to pay $5,000 restitution.

Andrea Bouchard of Old Town pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and two counts of receiving stolen property. Prosecutors said Bouchard helped her husband, Jamie, break into homes in Bangor, Old Town, Kenduskeag and Milford over the summer.

WCSH-TV says Stairs reported some jewelry was stolen, including his National and American League championship rings. District Attorney Chris Almy said Andrea Bouchard was the accomplice to her husband, who is now in jail, and helped him pawn the items.

Almy said Stairs did recover some jewelry, but he doesn’t believe he recovered his pennant rings.

Advertisement

PEMBROKE

Public meetings to collect input on tidal energy project

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has scheduled three public meetings this week to collect input on a proposed $70 million tidal energy project on the Pennamaquan River south of the Washington County community of Pembroke.

As conceptualized by Utah-based Halcyon Marine Hydroelectric, the facility would utilize proprietary technology that combines power generation during both the flood and ebb tides and which minimizes shoreline environmental impact.

The Bangor Daily News reported that FERC staffers will meet with the public, project advocates and state environmental and energy regulators on Thursday and Friday.

FAYETTE

Advertisement

Load of baled hay vanishes from Moose Hill Road barn

Police are searching for those responsible for stealing more than 150 bales of hay from a Moose Hill Road barn Tuesday night.

Maine State Police Trooper Dane Wing said between 150 and 200 square bales were taken sometime between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning from the barn at 129 Moose Hill Road.

The hay had been set aside earlier this year to feed three horses kept at the barn, Wing said.

Roxanne Turner, whose parents own the barn, said she discovered the theft Wednesday morning when she went to feed the horses.

Turner said the theft occurred as her parents slept in the nearby house.

Turner said the family was already taking steps to add security to the property.

Wing asked anyone with information about the theft to call Maine State Police at 624-7076.

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.