BANGOR

Bangor suspect tries to plead guilty to manslaughter

A Bangor man who was accused of killing his girlfriend has tearfully pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

David Coon told a judge Thursday that “I lost my girlfriend, which wasn’t supposed to happen.” WZON-AM said he also told the judge that he loved the victim, Sherry Clifford, who was 49.

But Superior Court Justice Ann Murray didn’t accept his plea, and the hearing was continued.

A police affidavit indicates Coon told investigators that the two were in a tussle on the floor when he covered her mouth to keep her from screaming.

The medical examiner concluded that Clifford died from asphyxiation and a neck injury. But he told the judge Thursday that he didn’t have his hands on her neck.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.

Maine man stands accused of stealing lottery tickets

A Maine man has been accused of stealing $400 worth of lottery tickets in Portsmouth, N.H., which has been investigating a pattern of lottery ticket thefts in the area.

Nathaniel Glavin, 34, of Saco has been charged with the theft of the tickets from the Big Apple store on Dec. 27. Police said the tickets were subsequently redeemed for cash at a local Market Basket store.

HARTFORD, Conn.

Senator wants new rules when trains strike an object

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling on the Metro-North Railroad to notify local authorities when one of its trains strikes an object.

The Connecticut Democrat said in a letter to Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Thomas Prendergast that an accident that apparently killed a woman last week in Westport demonstrates a “continued failure in safety policies and culture.”

Annette White, a 46-year-old Maine resident who had been living in Connecticut since July, was found dead Friday in the Saugatuck River near the tracks. A Metro-North spokesman said the train crew reported hitting something on a bridge over the river a day earlier, when it made an emergency stop, notified the railroad’s traffic control and searched the area.

Blumenthal said the railroad should have informed local authorities.

BREWER

Public hearing on eel catch delayed by weather again

A public hearing on plans to cut Maine’s lucrative glass eel catch has been delayed by weather – again.

About 150 people attended the first hearing, last month in Augusta. The second meeting was postponed because of bad weather until Thursday in Brewer.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources announced Thursday that it’s being pushed back again, until Tuesday.

Elvers, as the baby eels are known, have come under scrutiny since prices ballooned to $2,000 and more per pound. They’re caught in Maine rivers and exported to Asia.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission granted Maine a delay in taking action on new management rules – including the possibility of shutting down the fishery. In exchange, state regulators agreed to reduce the catch by 25 percent to 45 percent.

MANCHESTER, N.H.

N.H. man arrested after roman candle goes off

A New Hampshire man is under arrest after a roman candle firework he ignited in front of a Manchester pub shot balls of flame onto a police cruiser and into clusters of pedestrians.

Manchester police said 25-year-old Aric Pettis of Bennington was charged with reckless conduct for igniting the firework that was set into a planter in front of McGarvey’s Pub on Elm Street.

Manchester Officer Rob Megowen was driving his marked cruiser down Elm Street about 9:15 New Year’s Eve when small balls of fire struck the cruiser’s hood and windshield.

Eyewitness accounts prompted Megowen to arrest Pettis, police said.

Remnants of the roman candle were found on the sidewalk at the base of the planter.

BOSTON

Woman has toe bitten off at New Year’s Eve party

Police say a woman had her toe bitten off at a New Year’s Eve party in Boston.

Officers responded to a city hospital about 5 a.m. Wednesday for a report of an apparent assault in which the victim’s little toe on her left foot was bitten off.

The victim told police she made a sexual advance to another woman at the party in the city’s Dorchester neighborhood about 3 a.m., which upset the other woman’s boyfriend and led to a fight.

Police told The Boston Globe the party’s host then asked the victim to leave, which led to another fight outside in which the host allegedly bit off the guest’s toe.

The entire episode remains under investigation and no names were released.

CONCORD, N.H.

Teen driver dies of injuries suffered on New Year’s Eve

Police say a 17-year-old driver has died from injuries suffered in a New Year’s Eve car crash in Derry, N.H.

The accident happened about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday on Gulf Road. Police said the car struck a tree at high speed, resulting in massive front-end damage.

Police said the driver, Kyle Ross, died Wednesday afternoon. Police said he was not wearing a seatbelt.

A 16-year-old girl in the car who suffered life-threatening injuries remained hospitalized; her condition wasn’t immediately known Thursday. A 16-year-old boy also in the car was found walking by the vehicle with minor injuries.

NEW BRITAIN, Conn.

Connecticut man faces charge of selling heroin

A Connecticut man who has led searches for his missing 5-year-old son in Massachusetts has been charged with selling heroin.

New Britain, Conn., police said they caught 41-year-old Jose Oliver with 30 baggies of heroin during a drug sting Monday and charged him with drug crimes. Officers say they didn’t know at the time that Oliver is the father of Jeremiah Oliver, who vanished from his mother’s home in Fitchburg, Mass., in September.

Police only recently learned of Jeremiah’s disappearance, and Jose Oliver has led searches in Fitchburg the past two weekends. Jeremiah’s mother and her boyfriend have pleaded not guilty to child endangerment, abuse and other charges.

WORCESTER, Mass.

Worcester dentist pleads not guilty in death of wife

A Worcester dentist charged with killing his wife, whose body was found outside below a smashed third-floor window of their Princeton home, was freed on $5,000 bail Thursday after pleading not guilty.

Roger Desilets Jr., 69, was indicted last month on charges of manslaughter and assault and battery in connection with the death of Kathleen Desilets, 65, in December 2011.

Desilets told investigators that he and his wife had an argument about his extramarital affair, and she went upstairs to the bedroom and smashed the window with a chair before either falling or jumping out.

Kathleen Desilets died of blunt trauma of the torso with a laceration of the heart and fractures of the ribs and spine, according to her death certificate. She also had bruises on her arms and legs and a bump on her head, court documents show.

Desilets’ lawyer, Edward Ryan Jr., said he has not been told on what basis his client was charged, and that was not discussed in court.

“I have no idea what they allege my client did,” Ryan said. “I do know that on this tragic night, Roger Desilets had nothing to do with his wife’s demise. We’re confident at trial he will be vindicated completely.”

Toxicology tests confirmed that Kathleen Desilets had been drinking and took Valium shortly before her death, Ryan told The Telegram & Gazette.

“The sad truth is on the evening in question, Mrs. Desilets was intoxicated at nearly twice the legal limit and, in addition, had taken Valium,” Ryan said.

Desilets is due back in court Feb. 5.