LEBANON

Pair arrested for shooting man interrupting burglary

Maine State Police say a couple from New Hampshire have been arrested in connection with the shooting of a man who interrupted a burglary at his home last week in Lebanon.

Police said Ronald Bauer and Susan Guierrez, both 48, were arrested Wednesday in Somersworth, N.H.

They are being held in New Hampshire on fugitive-from-justice charges.

Police said the pair will face charges of elevated aggravated assault in Maine in connection with the shooting of Richard Potorski, who interrupted a burglary at his home on the afternoon of Jan. 8.

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Potorski was shot by an intruder, who then fled in Potorski’s SUV. He remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Maine State Police said the couple burglarized the home to feed their drug habit. Potorski’s vehicle was found in Rochester, N.H.

SCARBOROUGH

Former school bus driver facing felony sex charge

A Westbrook man who was a school bus driver in Scarborough and allegedly asked a girl to send him a nude picture of herself has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor.

Stephen C. Mitton, 47, of Saco Street made his initial appearance Wednesday in Cumberland County Unified Criminal Court on that charge, a felony punishable by as much as 10 years in prison, and a misdemeanor charge of unlawful sexual touching.

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Mitton was arrested Tuesday by Westbrook police, who are continuing to investigate.

Judge Jeffrey Moskowitz ordered Mitton held on $5,000 cash bail. As conditions of bail, the judge ordered Mitton to have no contact with the alleged victim, her mother or anyone younger than 18.

The Scarborough School Department said that, though Mitton’s picture and profile are still on the department’s website, he is no longer an employee.

BATH

Shipyard security officers rescue dog from ice floe

A poodle is safe after floating down the Kennebec River on a small ice floe before being rescued.

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A black standard poodle named Hoku jumped on the ice chunk while exploring the shoreline in Bath with her owner Saturday morning.

As Hoku floated swiftly downriver, two members of the Bath Iron Works security team took a boat out into the river in a rescue attempt.

Sgt. Paul White told The Times Record that he and Cpl. Harland Stanley let their boat come to a standstill and waited for the ice chunk to drift by. When that happened, Stanley grabbed the leash and called the dog by name. She then jumped from the ice onto the boat — dry and unscathed.

SACO

Local man, 23, is charged with trafficking in heroin

A Saco man was charged Wednesday with trafficking in heroin after an investigation into suspected drug activity at 125 Lincoln St.

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Michael A. Constible, 23, is being held without bail in York County Jail.

Constible initially drew the attention of police Tuesday when he was arrested in Biddeford on an outstanding warrant. At the time he was carrying 1 gram of heroin, said Saco Deputy Police Chief Jeffrey Holland.

After that arrest, Maine Drug Enforcement agents and Saco police made contact with three residents in apartment No. 6 at 125 Lincoln St. A search of the apartment turned up 8.4 grams of heroin in a bedroom, Holland said.

The heroin was prepackaged for sale in 18 individual plastic baggies. The estimated street value of the heroin is $1,350, according to police.

AUGUSTA

Gilead joins municipalities offering Rapid Renewal

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Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap says the Rapid Renewal service, which enables Mainers to register vehicles online has now grown to 167 municipalities, with more than 800,000 transactions processed to date.

The latest town to offer the optional service is Gilead, in western Maine. Rapid Renewal is offered by cities and towns from York County to Aroostook County.

Through Rapid Renewal, citizens are able to quickly and easily renew their vehicle registrations and pay their municipal excise taxes online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Rapid Renewal may be accessed through www.sosonline.org, the secretary of state’s site for online services.

WATERBORO

Teen pedestrian injured in hit-and-run accident

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The York County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a reported hit-and-run that injured a 17-year-old boy Tuesday.

The boy told police that he was walking along Townhouse Road in Waterboro about 5:15 p.m. when he was hit from behind by a white SUV.

The impact knocked him over, the boy told sheriff’s deputies, and he saw the SUV stop briefly before continuing on toward Hollis.

The boy was treated at Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford for what sheriff’s deputies said were not life-threatening injuries.

Deputies said they didn’t know if anyone in the SUV was hurt or if it suffered any damage.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 324-1113.

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PORTLAND

Lewiston man, 24, admits stealing, selling handguns

A Lewiston man accused of stealing a pair of handguns during a Falmouth house burglary in 2011 and then selling them in Lewiston pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

Chad Nichols, 24, waived indictment at his initial appearance before Judge D. Brock Hornby on a charge of possession of stolen firearms and pleaded guilty to an “information,” a document outlining the charges that would have been sought in an indictment.

Nichols faces as much as 10 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15.

Nichols had told a detective at the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office that he and another person participated in a burglary on Oct. 25, 2011, in Falmouth. Nichols took possession of the stolen handguns, a Glock 9mm and a Ruger .380, after the burglary, drove to Lewiston and sold them there, according to court documents.

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Portland Museum of Art hires development director

The Portland Museum of Art announced Wednesday that it has hired Elizabeth Cartland as its director of development.

Cartland will be responsible for managing the museum’s fundraising staff, overseeing the implementation of a major gifts program, managing an overall strategy of annual leadership giving programs and acting as lead fundraiser for the institution.

“Liz Cartland is a skilled fundraiser and experienced manager who will bring leadership and energy to our development department,” museum Director Mark Bessire said in a news release.

Cartland comes to the museum from the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., where she was director of annual giving and philanthropy officer since 2008. She oversaw the $2 million annual giving program.

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Before joining Peabody Essex, she raised money for the Joslin Diabetes Center and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

KINGFIELD

Maine Huts and Trails has a new executive director

The organization that’s developing a backcountry network of huts along 180 miles of trails in western Maine has a new executive director.

Maine Huts and Trails has named Charlie Woodworth to head the Kingfield-based organization. Woodworth is an avid outdoorsman and a longtime Yarmouth resident who is relocating to Kingfield.

He replaces Nicole Freedman, who has returned to Boston to be executive director of bicycle programs for the city.

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Maine Huts and Trails was formed with the long-term aim of building 12 overnight shelters and nonmotorized trails stretching from near the New Hampshire border to the Moosehead Lake region. Each shelter has a main lodge, private rooms with beds, hot showers and home-cooked meals. So far, the organization has built four huts and created 80 miles of trails.

AUGUSTA

Winslow woman, 31, admits burglarizing Dunkin’ Donuts

Police say a flip-flop left behind after a doughnut shop burglary in Waterville led them to a suspect.

Jessica Savage, 31, was sentenced Tuesday in Kennebec County Superior Court to serve nine months of a five-year prison term, after pleading guilty to breaking into a Dunkin’ Donuts and stealing $150.

Prosecutors said she smashed a window, hopped over a counter and passed a cash box out the window. But she left behind her footwear and prosecutors said DNA from the flip-flop was matched to the Winslow woman.

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She was already serving a jail term for participating in a break-in at a state legislator’s home eight days after the doughnut shop burglary.

The Morning Sentinel said Savage was also ordered to pay for the cost of replacing the window.

PARIS

Fryeburg man sentenced for stealing guitars, jewelry

A Fryeburg man has been sentenced to four years in prison for stealing vintage guitars and jewelry from a home in Porter.

Zachary Jackson was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to burglary, two counts of theft and receiving stolen property. He was also ordered to pay more than $7,000 in restitution.

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Prosecutors said the homeowner caught a man and a woman leaving his home in April with jewelry. They were told to drop the items, but instead ran to a car and drove off. They were later identified as Jackson, 24, and Tiffany Loring, 24.

The Sun Journal reported that two of the five guitars missing from the home turned up at a Portland pawn shop. Not all of the stolen items were recovered. Loring’s case is pending.

CAMDEN

Town official cleared in case of impersonation via emails

Camden’s economic development director has been cleared of charges of impersonating a state official.

Brian Hodges had been investigated by state police after they found emails to state officials in 2011 that were supposedly from Deb Neuman, the state’s deputy commissioner of economic development, a job Hodges once held.

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According to court documents, the emails came from IP addresses linked to Hodges.

Hodges told WABI-TV that prosecutors dropped the case months ago, but he found out a few days ago.

He said he was confident he would be cleared and is looking forward to focusing on his job in Camden.

 


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