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

August 23, 2012

Dispatches

From staff and news services

CAPE ELIZABETH

Man injured in blast after gas poured on brush fire

A Saco man was injured Wednesday morning when he poured gasoline on a brush fire outside a home off Valley Road.

Jay Moores, 42, suffered first- and second-degree burns and was taken to Maine Medical Center, according to the state Fire Marshal's Office.

Moores was burning a brush pile for a friend when he emptied the contents of an old automobile's gas tank on the fire, according to the Fire Marshal's Office.

Police Chief Neil Williams said the homeowners had a permit for the fire. The home is on Harvest Road, a private road off Valley Road.

PORTLAND

Citing finances, Lucid Stage announces it will close

Portland's ever-changing theater scene is about to change again. Lucid Stage, which operates a performance space on Baxter Boulevard, plans to close in the fall.

Director Liz McMahon announced the news in an email to supporters Tuesday night.

"Unfortunately, with a costly overhead, we simply couldn't make ends meet while remaining faithful to our mission of proving an affordable and accessible arts center," she wrote.

The theater will remain open through September, and possibly into October. Many small theater companies use the space, including Mad Horse.

BOWDOINHAM

Three juvenile boys charged in burglary, theft from store

Three juvenile boys who live in Bowdoinham have been charged with burglary and theft in connection with a break-in that occurred last month at the Bowdoinham Country Store on River Road.

Detective Dan Reed of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Department recovered $270 in cash and $1,200 worth of cigarettes, according to Chief Deputy Brett Strout.

Strout said one boy is 15 and the other two are 13. The 15-year-old faces an additional charge of burglary in connection with a break-in at the store on July 22.

Strout said a parent contacted police after she found one of the boys in possession of a large quantity of cigarettes.

The boys allegedly broke into the store sometime during the night of July 26. Police said the cash register was emptied and several cartons of cigarettes were stolen.

DOVER-FOXCROFT

Police say woman's death in lake not the result of a crime

Maine State Police say nothing criminal is suspected in the death of a woman whose body was recovered from Sebec Lake in Dover-Foxcroft.

The state Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy Wednesday and plans to do more tests before making a final determination on the cause of death of Carol Baird, 50, of Dover-Foxcroft. Her body was recovered about 50 feet from shore earlier Wednesday.

Police say it appears Baird and a companion, Barry Baird, 64, of Dover-Foxcroft, her former brother-in-law, went for late-night swim.

The two had been staying at his lakeside camp.

Barry Baird was arrested at the scene for violating his bail conditions for having contact with her. He had been charged with terrorizing in an incident involving the woman on Aug. 14.

BANGOR

Man sentenced for videos of young relative in bathroom

An Ellsworth man has been sentenced to six years in prison for secretly making video recordings of a young female relative in the bathroom.

Thomas King was also sentenced Tuesday in federal court to 10 years of probation and ordered to register as a sex offender upon release.

Prosecutors say King, 43, hid a tiny camera inside a clock on the windowsill to make the recordings more than two years ago when the relative was younger than 12. The camera was discovered by the girl's mother.

The judge said King was like a "second father" to the victim.

King was arrested in July 2011 and pleaded guilty in October to possession of child pornography.

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