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

March 6

Attorney: 'Love' drove defendant in Zumba case

But the prosecution's closing argument depicts Mark Strong Sr. as a shrewd man who helped run an illegal business.

By Scott Dolan sdolan@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

(Continued from page 1)

McGettigan raised her first objections during the first quarter of Lilley's presentation. She objected another 10 times before he finished.

Lilley went on to argue that Strong made no money from his connection to Wright.

"A business partner without money, what kind of business is that?" Lilley asked. "That's not a crime. That's bad judgment."

At the conclusion of closing arguments, Mills sent the jury of seven men and five women home for the evening.

The judge denied two motions earlier in the day Tuesday by Strong's attorneys to dismiss the charges against him, after Strong's brother, attorney James Strong, testified as the final witness for the defense.

James Strong said that he spoke to police on the day of his brother's arrest on July 10, 2012, in Thomaston and requested three times that State Police not leave any Kennebunk police officers alone with computer evidence while executing search warrants.

Lilley has argued that police targeted Strong in "retaliation" for his work as a licensed private investigator looking into unprofessional conduct within the Kennebunk Police Department.

Police testified earlier in the trial that, on the day of the police raid at Strong's home and business in Thomaston, one computer hard drive mistakenly ended up in the possession of Kennebunk Police Officer Audra Presby and that the hard drive seized in the raid was later found to be blank.

Lilley had said previously that the hard drive had once contained all Strong's records of his investigation of the Kennebunk Police Department.

In her closing rebuttal, McGettigan referred to Lilley's claim of retaliation as a "crazy conspiracy" theory.

Lilley also called Kennebunk Police Lt. Daniel Jones to the stand as a defense witness, asking him questions about Presby's affair with the department's former second in command, Lt. Nicholas Higgins, and an accusation by Higgins' ex-wife that Presby inappropriately touched one of her children.

Wright, 30, of Wells, is scheduled to stand trial in May on 106 counts, including promotion of prostitution, engaging in prostitution, violation of privacy, conspiracy, tax offenses and receiving welfare benefits when ineligible.

Staff Writer Scott Dolan can be contacted at 791-6304 or at:

sdolan@mainetoday.com

Tweet