Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

October 28, 2011

Dispatches

FALMOUTH

Chemical spill in home forces closure of street

A chemical spill inside a home on Chester Avenue forced the town to close the street for about an hour Thursday night.

Falmouth Fire Chief Howard Rice said his department was called to 3 Chester Ave. around 4:10 p.m. after the home’s owner reported he had accidentally spilled a small glass container of malathion, a pesticide, on the basement floor.

The Portland Fire Department’s hazardous materials team was called in to assist with the cleanup. A representative from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection also responded.

The home had to be ventilated and the owner was allowed to return after the fire department checked air quality levels. The street reopened at 5:30 p.m.

KITTERY

Police seize 86 poundsof pot in raid on home

Police say they’ve seized 86 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $200,000.

Police Chief Edward Strong said police raided a home on Old Dennett Road on Wednesday night and found 51 marijuana plants in bloom and the remnants of another 28 that had been harvested.

Strong told the Portsmouth Herald that the basement had been converted into a sophisticated marijuana processing facility.

Charged with aggravated cultivating of marijuana were the renter of the house, 36-year-old Francis Burns of Kittery, along with 34-year-old Evan Ploof of Watervliet, N.Y., 38-year-old Matthew Taylor of Delmar, N.Y., and 30-year-old Melissa Neppl of Albany, N.Y.

ALFRED

Old Orchard motel operator convicted of sales tax theft

An Old Orchard Beach man who ran a motel has been convicted for the theft of sales tax.

Dennis Caris, 54, was convicted on charges of felony theft by misapplication of sales tax, failure to truthfully collect, account and pay over sales tax, Attorney General William Schneider announced Thursday.

The activity took place from January 2007 to October 2009.

Superior Court Justice William Brodrick sentenced Caris to two years in jail, with all but four months suspended and three years of probation. Caris was also ordered to pay $35,860 in tax and interest.

Caris ran The Caris Landings by the Sea in Old Orchard Beach.

FREEPORT

Athletic fields’ completion will be celebrated today

The completion of several athletic fields off Hunter Road will be celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3:30 p.m. today.

The fields are part of a $3.3 million  complex that will include trails for running, biking and cross-country skiing and a recreational lodge.

Developed by Freeport Fields and Trails, a coalition of local residents and business owners, the project is being paid for with $2.3 million in surplus town funds and $500,000 from L.L. Bean.

Next spring, the fields will be striped and construction will begin on the trails, she said.

The ceremony will be held at the Hunter Road entrance.

PORTLAND

Official to serve dual roles while replacement is sought

The city of Portland’s economic development director will serve as its acting director of planning and urban development.

Greg Mitchell was appointed Thursday by the city manager to replace Penny St. Louis who is leaving her post at the end of the week.

City Manager Mark Rees said he will lead the search to find a permanent replacement for St. Louis.

Mitchell, who will serve the city in dual roles while the search for a replacement continues, joined the city staff three years ago.

He has led the effort to recruit new businesses to the city including Renys and Trader Joe’s.

ALFRED

Former Bay State trooper sentenced to prison for rape

A former Massachusetts state trooper convicted of rape in Maine is going to prison.

(Continued on page 2)

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