PORTLAND

Westbrook man guilty of child porn possession

A Westbrook man was convicted of possession of child pornography on Tuesday after a two-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Portland.

Joel Dudley, 29, told agents from Homeland Security Investigations when they raided his apartment at 80 Mechanic St. in Westbrook, on Aug. 20, 2012, that he had downloaded hundreds of pornographic videos of children from the Internet, according to court records.

Dudley faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

He is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge George Singal on May 30.

FRYEBURG

Ambulance carrying patient involved in Main Street crash

An elderly driver fell asleep at the wheel of his car and struck an ambulance that was carrying a 14-month-old child to the hospital Wednesday afternoon.

Sgt. Joshua Potvin said the Fryeburg ambulance was transporting the boy, his 3-year-old brother and their mother to Memorial Hospital in Conway, N.H., when a 2001 Volvo operated by 74-year-old Alfred Berube of Fryeburg crossed the centerline on Route 302 in Fryeburg and struck the ambulance on the driver’s side.

The crash took place on Main Street near Hidden Pines Lane. The ambulance, which did not have its lights or siren on, was traveling westbound.

Potvin said both vehicles had extensive damage but the boy and everyone in the ambulance were not injured. A second ambulance arrived and transported the child to the hospital.

Berube was taken to Bridgton Hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

“Certain details of this crash are still being looked into; however, our investigation shows that Mr. Berube fell asleep at the wheel,” Potvin said in a statement. “The Fryeburg Rescue driver’s quick reaction and evasive maneuvers prevented this crash from being a direct, head-on collision.”

BRUNSWICK

Bowdoin College projects receive planners’ go-ahead

The Brunswick Planning Board has allowed two Bowdoin College building projects to move forward.

The board on Tuesday gave final approval for the school to convert a former retirement home on Harpswell Road into housing for 35 students.

Renovations are likely to begin this summer to make the building ready for occupancy in August. Construction costs are estimated at about $1.9 million.

The board also gave preliminary approval to a plan to tear down a Maine Street building and construct a new administrative building on the site with office space for about 30 college employees. It will cost about $2.4 million.

The Times Record reported that one neighbor expressed concern about the size of the new building proposed for the site.

LEBANON

Meth trafficking conviction vacated by top state court

A Lebanon man found guilty of methamphetamine trafficking charges has had his conviction vacated by the state’s highest court because he had not manufactured the drug before he was arrested.

Aaron Lowden was arrested in January 2012 and convicted after a jury trial in 2013.

Police investigated after his landlady became suspicious.

A search by agents for the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency found various chemicals in the room Lowden was renting, as well as laboratory equipment and a book describing the process of manufacturing meth.

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court found there was no evidence that Lowden made or possessed methamphetamine.

The case was sent back to the lower court for consideration of a lesser charge.

BATH

Man held after neighbor assaulted with cooking pot

A 34-year-old Bath man is being held in jail after allegedly assaulting his downstairs neighbor with a cooking pot.

Police were called to 508 Middle St. at 5 p.m. Tuesday, where they found a 60-year-old man with a head injury. The man was taken to MidCoast Hospital. Police found and arrested the resident of the upstairs apartment, Corey Hagan, at 10:30 p.m. on Oak Grove Avenue.

Police charged Hagan with aggravated assault and he is being held on $500 bail at Two Bridges Jail. The victim’s injury was not life-threatening, police said.

AUBURN

Man gets 5 years for roles in five robberies last April

An Auburn man who pleaded guilty to participating in five robberies in the area last April has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Scott Demmons was also sentenced Tuesday in Androscoggin County Superior Court to three years of probation after pleading guilty earlier this month to robbing several convenience stores and pizza shops with an accomplice.

Prosecutors say he claimed to have a gun in some of the robberies and was motivated by a need for money to buy drugs.

The Sun Journal reported that the 33-year-old Demmons apologized to the robbery victims in court and said he hadn’t intended to hurt anyone.

Demmons’ alleged accomplice is awaiting trial.

BELFAST

Police: Attempt to ram officer leads to charges

Belfast police say they arrested a Maine woman who tried to ram an officer with her car after she became agitated while waiting at a credit union to get money for diapers.

WMTW-TV reported that 34-year-old Deanna Lenfest is facing charges of criminal mischief, driving to endanger, disorderly conduct and refusing to submit to arrest.

Belfast Police Chief Michael McFadden said Lenfest tried to ram an officer who responded to tellers at a Downeast Credit Union who reported a woman was upset on Saturday. McFadden said the officer, who had gotten out of his cruiser, jumped out of the way. The police cruiser sustained minor damage, McFadden said.

Lenfest was arrested later on Main Street.

HOLLIS

Cape Road farmhouse burns as towns rush to bring water

Several southern Maine fire departments battled a fire Wednesday that broke out around 4:30 p.m. in a farmhouse on Route 117 in Hollis, according to Hollis fire station personnel.

At least one person may have been transported by ambulance from the fire scene, though that report could not be confirmed.

Fire department trucks carrying water were called to the scene from several neighboring towns because there are no hydrants in the immediate vicinity.

The farm, which was recently listed for sale for $499,000, was built in 1820 and sits on 22 acres, according to the listing, which describes it as a “professional horse farm.” The farm’s address is 310 Cape Road, also known as Route 117.

BOSTON

Cape Wind offshore project announces $600 million loan

The board of a Danish export credit agency has approved a $600 million loan to the Cape Wind offshore energy project, the project’s president announced Wednesday.

The loan from EKF was announced by Cape Wind President Jim Gordon at the GreenPower USA Offshore Wind Conference in Boston.

“EKF is a very knowledgeable and experienced investor in the offshore wind industry and they recognize that Cape Wind makes sense both economically and environmentally,” Gordon said.

The wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound off the coast of Cape Cod is expected to cost about $2.6 billion. If built, it will be the first offshore wind farm in the U.S.