HARRINGTON

Father and son surrender, ending standoff over elder

A six-hour standoff in Down East Maine ended peacefully Thursday evening after a son and father surrendered to Maine State Police.

Elliot Robinson, 60, and Vernon Robinson, 78, of Harrington were preventing the matriach of the family – Elva Robinson, 84 – from getting treatment, according to state police spokesman Steve McCausland. Elliot Robinson had threatened violence if anyone tried to remove Elva from the home, McCausland said.

After a series of phone calls with Maine State Police negotiators and the state police tactical team, which were both on scene, the two men surrendered around 6:15 p.m. They have been charged with criminal restraint.

Elva Robinson has been under adult protective custody of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services for treatment of long-term illnesses. The men no longer wanted her to receive treatment, McCausland said.

Elva Robinson has been taken to Machias Hospital. Her condition wasn’t immediately known.

Both men were taken to the Washington County Jail. Police were searching the property for firearms Thursday night that they believe the men possessed, McCausland said.

JAY

Woman who reported fire, masked men hires lawyer

Police say a Jay woman who reported that three masked men forced their way into her home and set fire to her husband’s pickup truck has stopped cooperating with investigators and hired a lawyer.

The woman told police that three men wearing ski masks barged into the home early Sunday and began gathering items to steal while she was forced to sit and watch.

Police say the men fled when they realized the woman had used a cellphone to call for help. But before they left, they torched the truck.

Chief Larry White Sr. tells the Sun Journal there are inconsistencies in the woman’s account of events. Her name has not been made public.

White says the investigation by police and the state fire marshal is ongoing.

KITTERY

Maine-to-New Hampshire span may use tidal power

The team designing a new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge between New Hampshire and Maine says it’s considering using tidal power for some portion of the bridge’s electrical use.

Designers discussing their ideas at a forum in Kittery on Wednesday said tidal power might be used for lighting. They say they have been in discussions with researchers at the University of New Hampshire about the concept.

The Portsmouth Herald reports Linda Figg of bridge designer FIGG Engineering said the design work is about 30 percent complete at this point, as contractors work toward a fall 2014 or early 2015 start date for the replacement bridge.

The current bridge connecting Kittery and Portsmouth, N.H., on the Route 1 Bypass, is the No. 1 red-listed bridge in New Hampshire.

SOUTH PORTLAND

Police warn about phone scam involving jury duty

Police are warning residents about a telephone scam in which the caller tells the resident he or she missed jury duty and must pay $2,000 in cash as a fine.

In a posting on the police department’s Facebook page, South Portland police said at least three residents received calls from someone claiming to be “Lt. Frank Harris” or “Maj. Thomas Wilson,” who told the residents that they had failed to appear for jury duty. They were instructed to meet the caller at the Portland courthouse with $2,000 in cash to pay their fine. Residents in other jurisdictions received similar calls, the South Portland police said.

“As you can well imagine, this is not a legitimate call, and is not how such instances would be handled,” the police department said on its Facebook page.

Anyone who received a similar call or has questions should contact his or her local police department, according to the police’s Facebook page.

Additional details were not immediately available.

BANGOR

Man found guilty of several drug and firearms charges

A Monroe man who prosecutors describe as the patriarch of a sophisticated family marijuana growing operation has been convicted of federal drug and firearms charges.

Federal prosecutors say James F. Ford, 58, was found guilty on Thursday after a three-day trial.

Ford was convicted of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, maintaining a drug involved premises, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors say they seized 300 pot plants worth $800,000 along with growing equipment and two semi-automatic weapons from Ford’s home two years ago.

Ford’s two sons, both in their 30s, have pleaded guilty.

His wife’s trial ended in a mistrial and she is scheduled to be retried next month.

DOVER, N.H.

Maine couple indicted for Social Security, welfare fraud

A Maine couple have been indicted by a grand jury in New Hampshire on charges relating to Social Security and welfare fraud.

Foster’s Daily Democrat reports Robert and Nina DeAngelis of Berwick are accused of falsely reporting job statuses and incomes.

– From staff and news services