HOULTON

Man, 76, convicted in death of woman missing 15 years

A jury late Friday night convicted a northern Maine man in the death of his girlfriend whose body still hasn’t been found 15 years after she disappeared.

Jurors found 76-year-old pawnshop owner George Jaime Sr., of Presque Isle, guilty of intentional or knowing murder in the death of Starlett “Star” Vining, WAGM-TV reported.

Prosecutors said he stabbed and beat her until she died. The defense argued there’s no evidence Jaime did that because Vining’s body was never found.

The defense rested its case at midmorning Friday without calling Jaime to testify. Jurors got the case in the afternoon and deliberated into the night.

Jaime’s former daughter-in-law, Paris Voisine, testified Wednesday that she heard her husband and a friend describe how Jaime had dismembered and burned the body parts in a furnace before disposing of the ashes.

Voisine was married to Ted Jaime, who testified that he saw Vining’s bloody body in his father’s apartment and then left to enlist the help of a friend, James Campbell, to help clean up the murder scene.

Jaime has been held without bail since his arrest in July 2012 at The Star City Trading Post, the pawnshop he operated on Presque Isle’s Main Street.

Police said Vining was working at a grocery store in Presque Isle when she simply stopped coming to work in October 1998. She was 38 at the time.

EASTON

Teenager dies from injuries in October head-on collision

A Fort Fairfield woman has died from injuries she sustained in a head-on collision last month, according to the Maine State Police.

Police said 19-year-old Abigail Ladner died Friday afternoon at Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

State police said Ladner was traveling south on Route 1A in Easton on Oct. 27 when she was struck by a northbound pickup truck that had partially crossed the centerline.

Ladner, who was wearing a seat belt, was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the pickup was treated and released from a hospital.

Police are still investigating the accident. They said it does not appear alcohol or speed were factors.

WASHINGTON

New hotline accepting reports of elder fraud

Senior citizens and their family members now have another resource to report suspected elder fraud and to receive federal assistance.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., announced recently that the Senate Special Committee on Aging has launched a toll-free hotline aimed at helping combat the serious and growing issue of elder fraud. The free hotline, 1-855-303-9470, will be staffed by trained investigators weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The investigators have experience with a variety of fraudulent activities – including lottery scams, investment scams and identity theft – and will examine the complaints. If appropriate, the investigators will refer callers to the proper authorities, according to a release from the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Earlier this year, the committee held a first-ever congressional hearing on the so-called “Jamaican lottery scam,” which has stolen huge sums of money from hundreds of elderly Mainers and untold thousands of others elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada.

The committee is also accepting complaints through its website, which was redesigned to be more senior-friendly. The website is available at http://www.aging.senate.gov/fraud-hotline.

“Ensuring that seniors are as equipped as possible to avoid becoming victims of fraud and other scams is among our committee’s top priorities,” Collins, the committee’s top-ranking Republican, said in a statement. “This new hotline offered by the Senate Special Committee on Aging will help to identify and put a stop to the cruel scams that hurt seniors and their families.”

BANGOR

Two power companies seek permission to raise rates

Some Maine residents could see their electric bills increase soon.

Bangor Hydro Electric Co. and Maine Public Service Co. have requested rate increases from the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

The two companies are seeking distribution rate increases and Bangor Hydro has also requested an increase in the standard cost rate.

Customers of both companies could see their bills go up about $2.50 or more per month, WABI-TV reported. The standard cost rate hike could translate to another $1.50 per month for Bangor Hydro customers.

A spokeswoman for the two companies said the funds are needed to do things like trim trees near the system to prevent power outages and ensure that it’s safe and reliable.

– From staff and news services

 

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