BANGOR

Man convicted of fraud over Brownville invoices

A Vermont man accused of submitting false invoices to a Maine town was convicted of fraud on Friday.

Craig Sanborn was convicted of one count of wire fraud in a jury trial in Bangor. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Sanborn’s sentencing will likely happen in about three months.

Federal prosecutors say Sanborn, between November 2005 and January 2008, submitted $300,000 worth of false invoices to Brownville officials for materials and services he never purchased in connection with an ammunition plant. The money came from a federal grant.

He was also convicted in October of two counts of negligent homicide and manslaughter in connection with an explosion at a Colebrook, N.H., gun powder plant that killed Jesse Kennett, 49, and Donald Kendall, 56. Sanborn was later sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison.

Maine Republicans adopt new platform at convention

Maine Republicans have adopted a new platform that touts the state’s accomplishments under Gov. Paul LePage and highlights the party’s stance on issues ranging from education to firearms.

The platform was adopted Friday as the Republican convention kicked off in Bangor.

It opposes new taxes, defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and defends the individual’s right to bear arms.

It also urges the repeal of the Common Core Standards, uniform educational benchmarks.

It praises LePage and Republicans lawmakers for denying Democrats’ attempt to expand Medicaid under the federal health care law.

Absent are several planks added in 2010 when the platform catered to tea party tastes, including the elimination of the Department of Education and a reference to global warming as a “myth.”

The convention’s theme is “United for Jobs, United for Freedom, United for Maine.”

Maine Republicans are urging party unity as they attempt to re-elect LePage and regain majorities in the state Legislature.

On Saturday, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky will address the crowd. He’ll be followed by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and LePage, who’s being challenged in the upcoming elections by Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud and independent candidate Eliot Cutler.

Party officials have pledged to make the convention more drama-free than two years ago, when Ron Paul supporters took over the convention and elected a majority slate of delegates for the candidate.

BRENTWOOD, N.H.

Man, his Maine sister plan to plead guilty in killing

A New Hampshire man who once said he had nothing to do with his ex-wife’s death is planning to enter a guilty plea in the case.

Aaron Desjardins of Epping is charged with first-degree murder in the March 2013 killing of Amanda Warf. His sister, Michele Corson of Skowhegan, Maine, who faces accomplice to first-degree murder and other charges, also plans to enter a guilty plea.

Prosecutors say Desjardins slit Warf’s throat and set her body on fire in a vacant concrete plant in Exeter to try to cover up the evidence.

The notices to plead guilty don’t specify a charge.

In an affidavit unsealed this year, Desjardins, 37, said Warf was trying to take away their son and he plotted with his current wife, Sarah Desjardins, to kill Warf.

Sarah Desjardins also is charged as an accomplice.

DOVER-FOXCROFT

Police identify Dexter man who was shot three times

Dover-Foxcroft police have released the name of the man shot during a fight in town earlier this week, but have not yet announced any criminal charges in the case.

Police said Thursday that Reginald Melvin, 48, of Dexter was shot three times during a dispute on Lancaster Street at about 6 a.m. Tuesday. One of the wounds was to the stomach.

Melvin was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where hospital officials said he remains in good condition.

Police do not believe the fight was random. The parties involved knew each other and had a history of conflict.

The investigation is continuing.

AUGUSTA

Solar power bill now a law without LePage signature

A bill that aims to boost solar power development in Maine has gone into law without Gov. Paul LePage’s signature.

The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Eloise Vitelli of Arrowsic, directs the Public Utilities Commission to study the value of solar power generation in Maine. The measure also creates solar energy goals for the state, like ensuring that solar provides benefits to ratepayers and helps reduce Maine’s reliance on oil.

Environmental groups say that growing solar power in Maine will provide benefits not only for the environment, but also the economy through the creation of new jobs.

LePage recently vetoed another bill that would have restored a rebate program for solar panels because it would have increased electric bills for Mainers. The Democratic-controlled Legislature failed to override that veto earlier this month.

ORONO

Police looking for suspect in bank heist near UMaine

Police are searching for a man who robbed a savings bank in Orono of an undisclosed amount of money on Friday.

The man demanded money from the Bangor Savings Bank branch on Park Street just after 9 a.m., WZON-AM reported. He did not display a weapon during the robbery. The man left on foot for a nearby wooded area just after committing the crime. The station reported the bank declined to say how much money the man stole.

Maine State Police, Orono police, University of Maine campus police and FBI agents are investigating the robbery.

The bank is located near an entrance to the University of Maine campus.

KITTERY

Bicyclist struck by vehicle near Route 1 traffic circle

A bicyclist riding near the heavily traveled traffic circle on Route 1 in Kittery was struck by a vehicle Friday morning.

The rider, whose name was not released, was hit and thrown from the bicycle, according to a Kittery police dispatcher. The victim was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening, the dispatcher said.