SKOWHEGAN

Man given 45 years in prison for 2009 drug-related killing

A Norridgewock man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for the drug-related slaying of a man who was sitting in his pickup truck.

Robert Nelson of Norridgewock was sentenced Tuesday for killing Everett Cameron, 60, of Anson with a gunshot to the head during a drug transaction in October 2009.

Nelson was convicted of murder in December.

Nelson admitted he met Cameron the day of the shooting, but didn’t kill him. He said he met Cameron to tell him he couldn’t repay money he owed him for prescription drugs Cameron sold him.

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The Morning Sentinel reported that Nelson, 42, maintained his innocence Tuesday.

SABATTUS

Selectmen reject proposal for vote on requiring guns

Sabattus selectmen on Tuesday voted down a proposal put forth by retired police Officer David Marsters to have residents vote at June’s town meeting on a proposed ordinance that would require every head of household in Sabattus to own a gun.

Marsters said such a law would promote safety and deter crime.

The Sun Journal reported that Police Chief Anthony Ward told selectmen he opposed the measure. He said he’s a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, but also believes people “also have the right not to bear arms.”

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The proposal failed by a vote of 4-0, with two selectmen abstaining.

BANGOR

Investigators say fetus in bag was miscarried

Authorities say no criminal charges are pending in the case of a woman who was found carrying a fetus in a plastic grocery bag.

Sgt. Paul Edwards said officers confronted the woman Friday after getting a call that she had a fetus. The woman approached an officer with what appeared to be a fetus inside a sealed plastic container, which was inside the bag.

The state Medical Examiner’s Office in Augusta, the Attorney General’s Office and police investigated. They determined the matter concerns the miscarriage of a 15-week-old fetus.

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Edwards said Wednesday the mother has been identified, but he didn’t say whether she was the woman who was carrying the bag. He says the case is considered closed.

YORK

N.H. woman pleads guilty to two 2012 bank robberies

Police say a New Hampshire woman has admitted robbing banks last year in York and Conway, N.H.

York police said Roxanne Esty, 36, also known as Roxanne Gillis of Gorham, N.H., pleaded guilty to both robberies on Wednesday, after waiving extradition.

Police say she robbed the Bank of New Hampshire in Concord on May 11 and the Kennebunk Savings Bank in York on May 29, after standing in line and presenting the teller with a note.

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Police have not said how much cash was stolen in either robbery.

The Portsmouth Herald reported that Esty is a former nurse who had her nursing license suspended in December 2011 for allegedly diverting drugs, according to the New Hampshire Board of Nursing website.

AUBURN

Former employee sentenced for thefts from group home

A Mechanic Falls woman has pleaded guilty to stealing from the nonprofit group home for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities where she worked, and to stealing from one client.

Prosecutors say Terri Arsenault, 41, misused a John F. Murphy group homes credit card. Arsenault also took money from a trust account of a resident at one of the three homes, where she served as administrator.

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Investigators say she used the nonprofit’s credit card to buy gas, groceries and other household goods, often at night, on weekends and during vacations when she wasn’t working. The thefts dated to 2007 and 2008.

The Sun Journal reported that in a deal with prosecutors, Arsenault agreed to a maximum of nine months in jail at sentencing. She also agreed to pay $15,000 in restitution.

AUGUSTA

Bill would allow businesses to operate football pools

Those sports pools that patrons play in Maine bars are illegal. A bill before the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee could change that.

Rep. Sharri MacDonald’s bill would authorize the state police to issue licenses to places that sell alcoholic beverages so they could operate football score pools. The licenses would cost $50.

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MacDonald told the committee Wednesday that she would welcome an amendment to broaden the bill to include any kind of pool. The Old Orchard beach Republican said some restaurants are looking for ways to bring people to their businesses, and her bill could help. She said the bill also could generate more than $110,000 for the state.

The Maine Restaurant Association supports the bill. No one spoke against MacDonald’s proposal during Wednesday’s public hearing.

 

Department of Labor warns Mainers about phone scam

The Maine Department of Labor is warning people about a telephone scam in which the caller offers help finding a job.

The department said the caller tries to get personal information from individuals by posing as an employee of the department. People who get calls should not give personal information.

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The scam was reported by a woman who has been employed as a nurse at the same facility for 13 years and is not looking for work.

Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette said the department does not call people unless they are already engaged with one of its programs, and state workers always identify themselves with their name, title and purpose of the call.

Individuals who think they might have been targeted should contact police and call the Department of Labor at 623-7900.

 

LePage, agriculture leader join ceremonial tree tapping

Gov. Paul LePage touted the state’s maple syrup industry by tapping a maple tree on the lawn of the governor’s mansion.

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LePage was joined Wednesday by Agriculture Commissioner Walt Whitcomb, maple syrup producers and legislators for the annual Blaine House ceremonial tree tapping.

The event serves as a prelude to Maine Maple Sunday, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary on March 24. On that day, scores of sugarhouses open their doors to allow the public to view the syrup-making process and taste a few samples.

Maine last year produced 360,000 gallons of syrup, tying it with New York as the No. 2 syrup-producing state. Vermont is the top U.S. syrup producer.

SOLON

Stephen Longley dies at 56, ferried AT hikers across river

Stephen Longley, known by Appalachian Trail hikers as “The Ferryman,” and son of a former Maine governor, died Saturday at his home in Solon. He was 56.

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From 1987 to 2007, Longley operated the Appalachian Trail Conference’s Kennebec River Ferry Service in Caratunk. During that time, Longley, known for his red canoe, transported more than 19,000 hikers across the river and was featured in articles and documentaries.

A registered Maine Guide and Wilderness First Responder, Longley often said he was inspired by his father, James Longley, Maine’s independent governor from 1974-78.

 

BATH

Massage therapist pleads not guilty to sex charges

A massage therapist from Topsham charged with inappropriately touching a client at the fitness center where he works has been arraigned.

Lionel Beaucage pleaded not guilty Monday in Sagadahoc County Superior Court to one count of felony unlawful sexual contact and two misdemeanor counts of unlawful sexual touching.

Beaucage, 55, was arrested Sept. 18 after the woman told police that on Sept. 8 he inappropriately touched her at a Topsham fitness center where he works as a professional fitness trainer and licensed massage therapist.

 


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