SACO

Police seek man in assault of woman on Main Street

Police have released a sketch of a suspect involved in an unprovoked assault on Main Street.

An 18-year-old Biddeford woman reported the attack Tuesday morning. She said she was walking on Main Street, near the intersection of Fairfield Street, when an unknown man got out of a red boxy vehicle and assaulted her, police said.

The man was described as white, bald, in his 20s or 30s, stocky and about 6 feet tall. He was wearing a T-shirt with a plaid design. The vehicle was last seen turning onto King Street.

Police said today that they are unable to identify the suspect despite several interviews, a canvass of the neighborhood and a review of video.

Anyone with information about the assault is asked to contact the Criminal Investigation Division at 282-8216.

KENNEBUNK

Public’s help sought finding man in parking lot assault

Police are asking the public for help in its investigation of a weekend assault.

A male was the victim of an aggravated assault in the parking lot of Federal Jack’s around 11:50 p.m. Saturday. Police said a man struck the victim in the face without provocation.

The victim, whose name was not released, was seriously injured. He is now in a hospital intensive care unit, police said.

The suspect’s first name may be Brandon and he may be from the Dover or Rochester area in New Hampshire. He is described as about 25 years old, between 5-foot-10 and 6 feet tall, and weighing 160 to 180 pounds. He has dark hair and a scruffy beard and may be left-handed.

Anyone with information about the suspect or the incident as asked to contact Detective Dave Jamieson at djamieson@kennebunkmaine.us or at 604-1319.

Police can also take anonymous tips at 985-2102 extension 1622 or through its website.

PORTLAND

Internet, phone service down for several hours

Internet and phone service was disrupted in a number of locations in New England due to a power-related problem, according to a spokeswoman for AT&T.

The company worked with a third-party access provider to resolve the issue, according to Katie Goudey, a public relations account executive with the firm Duffy & Shanley.

Service had returned to normal before 4 p.m.

The problem was caused by damage to equipment of Sidera Networks, according to the spokeswoman.

Goudey said she did not know how widespread the problems were in Maine or which other New England areas were affected. She said the problems lasted for two hours for some customers.

Council approves pay raise for city’s top police officers

The City Council on Wednesday approved a 1 percent pay raise for the city’s high-ranking police officers.

The contract with the Police Superior Officers Benevolent Association was negotiated for the 2011 calendar year, which means that the city’s 31 police captains, lieutenants, and sergeants will get retroactive pay dating to Jan. 1, 2011.

“It’s a modest increase in difficult economic times,” said City Councilor Nicholas Mavodones Jr. 
Besides the raise, the contract increases an officer’s annual uniform allowance from $200 to $250.

The union and the city will now begin negotiations with the city for a new contract for 2012.

AUGUSTA

Bill would pay bounties for reports of MaineCare fraud

A bill to authorize payments to people who report MaineCare fraud will get closer legislative committee scrutiny next week.

On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee heard from a number of groups and individuals who praised the idea as a potential money maker for the state, and others who found the idea of bounties distasteful.

Lincoln Republican Rep. Jeffrey Gifford’s bill allows payments for a person who brings action citing fraud in MaineCare. Supporters said the state could recover $15 for every $1 spent investigating those cases.

But critics said those pluses are overstated, and Maine could get bogged down in multi-state litigation that costs money. The Maine Hospital Association’s Jeff Austin called it “profiteering” off law enforcement action, and the Maine Medical Association said Maine’s not a hotbed of Medicaid fraud. 

Maine 4th in fatal crashes with drivers 65 and older

A new study says Maine ranks fourth in the country in the share of fatal traffic crashes involving drivers 65 and over.

A Washington-based nonprofit research group called TRIP released a report Wednesday evaluating older driver safety and fatality rates.

The report found that 22 percent of fatal accidents in Maine in 2010 involved at least one driver 65 and older. The state ranked ninth in the percentage of its licensed drivers — 18 percent — who are at least 65.

The group says as the baby boom generation begins turning 65, the percentage of older drivers on the road will rise. The report says drivers 65 and older account for 8 percent of all miles driven but comprise 17 percent of all traffic fatalities. 

Maine-produced webseries ‘Ragged Isle’ wins awards

The Maine-produced webseries ‘Ragged Isle’ took home three big awards Tuesday at the Indie Soap awards held in New York City.

The show prevailed in the categories of Best Cinematography (Barry Dodd, Derek Kimball), Best Director (Barry Dodd) and Best Drama Webseries. The Indie Soap Awards is a division of We Love Soaps. The awards honor the best in independent, scripted, serialized programming for the Web.

“Ragged Isle” was shot entirely in Maine using local actors, musicians and film crew. It tells a dramatic story set on a remote Maine island shrouded in mystery. Creators Barry and Karen Dodd say the show draws inspiration from cult classics that include “The X-Files,” “Twin Peaks” and “Dark Shadows.”

WORCESTER, Mass.

Second suspect pleads not guilty in 1994 murder case

A second man has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in the 1994 disappearance of a Worcester man whose body has never been found.

Forty-nine-year-old John Fredette of Saco, Maine, was ordered held without bail after his arraignment Wednesday in Worcester Superior Court.

Elias Samia of Worcester pleaded not guilty to murder last week.

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports prosecutor Daniel Bennett said in court Wednesday that 36-year-old Kevin Harkins was fatally shot in Samia’s car after the men left a bar. The prosecutor said Harkins’ blood was seen on the defendants when Millbury police pulled the car over at about 3 a.m. on Feb. 15, 1994. Bennett said Harkins was killed after he refused to lie for Fredette in a drug case.

A probate court declared Harkins dead in 2008.

WALDOBORO

Owner euthanizes pit bull that attacked two children

Police say a pit bull owned by a Waldoboro family that attacked the family’s 12-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy has been euthanized.

Police say the family will not face any charges other than having an unlicensed dog because the animal had never before exhibited aggressive behavior. The Bangor Daily News reports that the owners could have faced charges of keeping a dangerous dog.

The attack last month landed both children in the hospital. The owner had to pry the dog’s jaws off one of the children. Both are recovering.

The decision to euthanize the animal was made by the owner.

BANGOR

Police seek missing Florida firefighter visiting Maine

Police in Maine are looking for a missing Florida firefighter who hasn’t been seen in almost a week.

Authorities say Jerry Perdomo, 31, of Orange City, Fla., drove a rental car from Florida to Bangor, where it was found abandoned on Friday morning in a Walmart parking lot.

He was last seen wearing a back zip-up hooded sweat shirt, shorts and black sneakers. He is described as being Puerto Rican, 5-foot-11, about 200 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

A colleague tells the Bangor Daily News that Perdomo is a firefighter and emergency medical technician for the Seminole County Fire Department who did not show up for work as scheduled on Sunday. He was going to Maine to visit a friend.

PITTSFIELD

Cianbro Corp. seeking to hire 150 construction workers

Maine’s largest heavy construction company is looking to hire 150 construction workers.

Pittsfield-based Cianbro Corp. says it has a backlog of projects in Maine and needs workers to fill job openings.

President Andi Vigue told the Bangor Daily News the company is seeking licensed electricians, structural iron workers, millwrights, pipe welders, transmission line workers, electrical engineers and others to work on projects in the Bangor area, Brewer, Auburn, Woodland and southern Maine.

LISBON

Annual Moxie Festival theme picked: ‘We’re in Moxieland’

Organizers of Maine’s annual Moxie Festival have chosen the theme for this year’s event that pays homage to the quirky beverage concocted in the 1870s by a Mainer.

The Moxie Festival Committee says Melissa Pillsbury of Thorndike submitted this year’s winning theme of “We’re in Moxieland” — a spinoff of Maine’s “Vacationland” label. The committee received more than 100 entries for the contest from Maine and other states including Florida, Illinois and South Carolina.

For her winning entry, Pillsbury received a basket filled with Moxie items and will be one of the judges for the Moxie Festival Parade. The 29th annual festival is scheduled for July 13-15 in Lisbon.