AuburnNew Gloucester woman killed in head-on collision

A New Gloucester woman was killed Monday in a head-on collision on Route 136 in Auburn.

Tara Chase, 20, was heading north near 1580 Riverside Drive (Route 136) at about 5:52 a.m. when she lost control of the Saturn she was driving and skidded into the path of an oncoming Chevrolet Impala. Chase died instantly, according to Auburn police.

The driver of the Impala, 60-year-old Leo Leclair of Auburn, and his three passengers were taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where they were listed in satisfactory condition.

Police said a preliminary investigation indicates that speed and weather conditions may have been factors in the crash. Auburn police are being assisted in the investigation by an accident reconstructionist from the Maine State Police.

The crash closed Riverside Drive between Penley Corner and Jordan School roads for a several hours.

Advertisement

Township 2, Range 9Biddeford man dies after crash in snowy conditions

A Biddeford man was killed Sunday after losing control of his SUV and trailer in snowy conditions and crashing on Interstate 95 southbound in the northern, rural part of the state.

Norman Ayotte, 55, was driving his Chevrolet Tahoe and towing a trailer for all-terrain vehicles when he crashed into the median at mile marker 233 in Township 2, Range 9, at about 9 a.m. Sunday, according to the Maine State Police. They said he was driving too fast for the snowy conditions.

Ayotte was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from his vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“He lost control. The vehicle ended up going into the median,” Trooper Thomas Fiske said on Monday. “It began fishtailing and the trailer swung around, carrying the momentum of the Tahoe, and he couldn’t recover.”

Ayotte and his passenger, Wayne Howard, also 55, of Arundel, were returning from a hunting trip at Howard’s property in the town of Smyrna Mills, which is located about 12 miles from the Canadian border at Houlton, Fiske said.

Advertisement

Howard, who was wearing a seat belt, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

PortlandPolice seeking man who carried rifle into RSVP store

Portland police are looking for a man who entered the RSVP Discount Beverage store at 887 Forest Ave. on Friday night with a rifle.

The man is described as about 40 years old, white, about 6 feet tall, with a medium build, according to a news release from the Portland Police Department. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, hiking-type boots and a filter-type mask that obscured most of his face.

The man made no demands but said his weapon was loaded, the release said. He fled to the rear of the business and onto the adjacent railroad tracks. Police tried to track him with a dog but did not find him.

Officials request that anyone who witnessed the incident at 6:41 p.m. contact the police department at 874-8584 or submit a tip on the department’s website.

Advertisement

South PortlandWestbrook man, two teens charged in armed robbery

South Portland police have charged a Westbrook man and two teenagers in connection with an armed robbery that occurred Saturday in which two teenage girls were robbed of their pocketbooks at gunpoint in the Brickhill area of the city.

The girls knew one suspect, which triggered an intense investigation in Westbrook and Auburn as well as South Portland.

Police served four search warrants and arrested the two juveniles at 14 Newbury St. in Auburn on charges of robbery. Police say the youths have connections to Greater Portland but do not have a fixed address.

On Monday, police searched 53 Haskell St. in Westbrook and subsequently charged 18-year-old Samnang Im — also known as “Junior Sok” — of that address with two counts of robbery stemming from Saturday’s incident and a similar one in Westbrook on Thursday. He is being held without bail because of a charge of violating bail conditions from a previous arrest, police said. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

As part of the investigation, police also charged Devon Grant, 18, of Westbrook with trafficking in dangerous knives.

Advertisement

LEBANONHouse fire forces seven to flee, no injuries reported

Seven people have been displaced after a house fire in Lebanon.

Fire crews were called to the fire at about 5:20 p.m. Sunday. A resident reported that a fire had started in the master bedroom.

Crews from Berwick and from Rochester, Milton and Somersworth, N.H., arrived on the scene, Foster’s Daily Democrat reported.

The residents made it out safely and the fire was cleared at about 7:20 p.m. Two of three cats were accounted for.

Firefighters said the cause of the fire will be investigated by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

— From staff and news services


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.