ALFRED

Judge upholds conviction in state’s first Amber Alert

A judge has decided that the aggravated assault conviction against Gary Traynham of Kennebunk should stand.

Traynham triggered Maine’s first Amber Alert when he fled the state with his 2-year-old daughter in November 2009. He was convicted last month of aggravated assault and criminal restraint.

Traynham’s lawyer, Amy Fairfield, argued this week that his actions did not rise to the level of aggravated assault and that the conviction should be thrown out.

Justice G. Arthur Brennan issued his ruling late Thursday, according to Assistant District Attorney Thad West.

Traynham was charged with gross sexual assault in the violent encounter he had with his ex-girlfriend in Sanford before he took their daughter to New Hampshire. The jury could not reach a verdict on that charge or on a burglary charge.

AUGUSTA

Attorney general: Shooting of Skowhegan man justified

The Attorney General’s Office said state police were justified in shooting a Skowhegan man during a confrontation with a member of the tactical squad.

Attorney General William Schneider said Friday that an investigation of Kemp Lybrook’s shooting in October showed that it was reasonable for Detective Mark Sperrey to believe that deadly force was imminently threatened against him, Trooper Todd Stetson and other officers in the immediate area when Sperrey shot Lybrook.

The tactical squad had been called to assist Skowhegan police with Lybrook, who was showing an assault rifle and approaching troopers outside his home when he was shot.

The Attorney General’s Office said Sperrey fired at Lybrook, hitting him once. Lybrook underwent surgery for his wound.

Two bills target bullying through electronic devices

Cyber bullying is targeted in a pair of bills that lawmakers will consider.

Democratic Rep. Don Pilon of Saco is sponsoring a bill focusing on the prevention of bullying via electronic devices. It would require school boards to adopt policies on cyber bullying and include a procedure to report offensive behavior to authorities. The bill also would make bullying a civil violation.

A proposal by Democratic Rep. Terry Morrison of South Portland would require a bullying prevention policy to include cyber bullying by Aug. 15, 2012. The two bills are expected to be combined in a single bill.

Supporters say bullying — especially by electronic messaging or cellphones — has grown into a huge problem.

PORTLAND

Man gets three years in jail for role in ’09 bank robbery

A Portland man will go to prison for three years for his part in a bank robbery in 2009.

U.S. District Judge Brock Hornby sentenced Kelvin Smith, 34, also known as Kevin Smith, to 37 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Smith pleaded guilty in December to aiding and abetting bank robbery.

The robbery occurred in September 2009 at the Brighton Avenue branch of Key Bank in Portland.

U.S. Attorney Thomas Delahanty II said Friday that court records show tellers were robbed by a man who said he had a gun and took $1,465 before escaping in a vehicle driven by Smith.

The robber, who has since been convicted and sentenced, and Smith split the money from the robbery. 

PHIPPSBURG

Body on beach thought to be missing fisherman

A body that was found on a beach in Phippsburg is believed to be that of a fisherman who disappeared more than two weeks ago, said an official with the Maine Marine Patrol.

A body believed to be Richard Lemont was found Thursday morning by someone walking on Sewall Beach.

Marine Patrol Sgt. Rene Cloutier said the body was taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office for positive identification. Lemont was last seen setting off into the Kennebec River from Phippsburg in a small boat at midday April 7.

His boat was later found empty. The Marine Patrol and the Coast Guard searched for Lemont for 24 hours before the search was stopped.

BREWER

Two local men arrested for trafficking marijuana

Two men were charged with marijuana trafficking after a sheriff’s deputy smelled marijuana on one of the men at a convenience store.

Penobscot County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. William Birch said he followed the man with the marijuana odor Thursday and later stopped the car he was driving.

Birch said he found a “fair amount” of marijuana in the car.

The Bangor Daily News said Trevor Cameron, 26, and Robert Cameron, 27, both of Brewer, were arrested on trafficking charges. Officials say the two men are related, but are not brothers.

LEWISTON

Bates president will start Johns Hopkins job Aug. 1

Elaine Tuttle Hansen, who will step down in July as president of Bates College, said she will begin work at Johns Hopkins University on Aug. 1.

The school in Baltimore announced Hansen’s appointment as executive director of its Center for Talented Youth. In that role, Hansen said, she will oversee an organization that’s dedicated to teaching, research and service in the field of education for gifted students.

During her tenure at Bates, Hansen increased student financial aid and fundraising, developed a plan for facility upgrades and completed a strategic planning process for curriculum, research and student life.

Circus weight-loss prop lifted from clown’s truck

A “weight loss machine” that dazzles circus audiences has disappeared from the back of a clown’s truck, and police are investigating the theft of the 400-pound prop.

The Sun Journal said the Kora Clowns Weight Loss Machine vanished Thursday from the back of Kracker the clown’s truck. Police and the Shriners, who sponsor the circus that’s in Lewiston, hope the bozos who stole the box will return it.

In the circus, lights flash and confetti and smoke pour from the box after Kracker steps inside, a few minutes before a smaller Kracker steps out.

Shriner Michael Morin said it’s not a high-value item, but it means a lot to his group and to children.