BRUNSWICK

Bank robbery in progress thwarted after tip to police

Brunswick police say they thwarted a bank robbery that was in progress Monday afternoon after being tipped off by a Bank of America employee.

Deputy Chief Marc Hagan said officers confronted the suspect as he was leaving the Maine Street branch of Bank of America. Raymond D. Leavitt, 51, a transient from Portland, was taken into custody without incident.

Hagan said Leavitt did not display a weapon during the robbery, but officers said that when he was arrested he had several knives.

Leavitt was arrested and charged with attempted robbery. He was taken to the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, where he was also being held Monday night on a warrant out of Old Orchard Beach for failing to pay fines. His bail has been set at $8,600 cash.

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KENNEBUNK

Police identify man who fell to his death from roof

Police have identified the man who fell to his death Friday from a porch roof as Stephen J. Gardner of Kennebunk.

Gardner, 56, was a construction worker whose last known address was 23 Old Alewive Road in Kennebunk. Gardner was standing on the roof of a farmers-style porch at 137 Summer St. when he stepped backward and fell to the ground, said police Lt. Anthony Bean Burpee.

Gardner and another person were working on the roof at the time.

Gardner was taken by ambulance to Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford, where he was pronounced dead.

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Police have not said how far Gardner fell and continue to investigate. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration also is investigating the incident.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.

Bridge linking Portsmouth and Kittery being inspected

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation is inspecting the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, which connects Portsmouth and Kittery.

The inspection was scheduled to start Monday. The bridge carries the U.S. Route 1 bypass over the Piscataqua River between the two states.

The bridge will have lane closures as needed and as weather permits from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily for up to 11 weekdays.

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Flag persons, electronic message signs and warning signs will be used to notify motorists of the lane closures. Motorists traveling between Portsmouth and Kittery are asked to use alternate routes if possible to avoid delays.

In the event of adverse weather, the inspection work may be delayed until the next suitable workday.

Work to replace the 73-year-old bridge is expected to start in September 2014.

BERWICK

Man wanted for violating probation located, arrested

A man wanted in New Hampshire on charges of violating probation has been arrested in Berwick.

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The U.S. Marshals Service said Michael Delgreco, 55, was arrested Monday morning without incident.

Delgreco, whose last known address was in Hudson, was being sought on an outstanding warrant issued by the Rockingham County Superior Court. The probation violations stemmed from a conviction and sentence for selling heroin.

A “Fugitive of the Week” broadcast on Delgreco was aired Friday on local stations and appeared in local publications.

The marshals said tips provided by the public indicating Delgreco was possibly employed in the Berwick area helped in their search.

PRESQUE ISLE

Man charged with arson in fire at community college

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The State Fire Marshal’s Office says a man has been charged with arson following a weekend fire on the campus of Northern Maine Community College.

Investigators said the fire happened early Saturday in an occupied apartment bedroom in Penobscot Hall. The fire was extinguished by the building sprinkler. Several adjoining apartments had water damage.

More than a dozen students and guests escaped without injury.

Police on Sunday charged Paul Wasson, 22, of Presque Isle with arson after reviewing security cameras and witness accounts.

Wasson, who was arrested at his home, was being arraigned Monday. Police said he wasn’t a student at the college, but was visiting a friend on campus.

EASTON

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Fort Fairfield woman, 19, critically injured in crash

A teenager was in critical condition after a collision Sunday in Easton.

State police said Abigail Ladner, 19, of Fort Fairfield was driving south on U.S. Route 1A on Sunday afternoon when her vehicle was struck by a northbound pickup truck near the intersection of Route 1A and Lamoreau Road.

Police said Ladner suffered life-threatening injuries and was hospitalized at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

The driver of the pickup, Barry Belyea, 67, of Portland, suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from a hospital.

Police are still investigating the accident. They said it does not appear alcohol or speed were factors.

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HAMPDEN

Body of woman found by kayakers on the Penobscot

State police are seeking the identity of a middle-aged woman whose body was found by kayakers in the Penobscot River.

The body was found Monday morning floating in the river about 20 to 30 feet offshore in Hampden, officials said. The body, which appeared to have been in the water for a few days, was taken to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.

The woman appeared to be in her 50s or 60s, had short, reddish hair and was wearing blue jeans and a leather-like coat.

Detectives said they’ll be reviewing missing person reports.

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SOUTH THOMASTON

Fisherman who was rescued after sinking of boat dies

Officials in Maine say one of two fishermen who were rescued after their boat sank off the Massachusetts coast has died.

A Coast Guard helicopter spotted the two crew members from the 65-foot Terra Nova in the water Friday night, and the Coast Guard said both were rescued. But Knox County Sheriff Donna Dennison said Monday that one of them, David Oaks of South Thomaston, had died.

The Coast Guard said two men were aboard the 65-foot commercial fishing vessel when it began taking on water.

The men reported 6 feet of water in the forward cabin and said the pumps weren’t able to keep up with the flooding. They anchored the vessel and abandoned ship, which sank about two hours later near Cape Ann, Mass.

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SANFORD

Police release video of man who robbed credit union

Sanford police released a video they hope will lead to the man who robbed the Ocean Communities Federal Credit Union at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Police said the man entered the bank, showed a long-barreled, silver-colored revolver and demanded money from two tellers. He fled with an undisclosed amount of money into the woods near the Center for Shopping Plaza.

Police believe he then got into a car in the parking lot of Shaw’s supermarket.

Anyone in the area who saw suspicious activity at about 11 a.m. is asked to call police.

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The man is described as about 5-foot-8-inches tall, weighing about 200 pounds with a salt-and-pepper mustache and facial stubble. He was wearing jeans with a wallet chain, a gray or olive drab pullover with a half zipper, a black watch cap, black gloves and sunglasses. He had a deep voice and is in his late 40s.

The video is online at www.pressherald.com. Sanford police are offering a $500 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

Anyone with information is asked to call the department at 324-9170 and select option 4 for the criminal investigative division.

CARIBOU

Up to 4 inches of snow falls in parts of Aroostook County

The state’s first measurable snow of the season has fallen on northern Maine.

A storm that passed through Monday dropped between a half an inch and 4 inches of snow in northern Aroostook County.

The National Weather Service said 4 inches fell on St. Agatha by midafternoon, with Wallagrass getting 2.8 inches. Two inches were recorded in Frenchville, with Caribou coming in at an inch.

Meteorologist Ken Wallingford said October snow is not unusual in northern Maine, but it should be melted away by Tuesday morning.


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