ROCKLAND

Former prisoner pleads no contest in fatal assault

A former Maine State Prison inmate accused of killing a fellow prisoner who used a wheelchair has pleaded no contest to an aggravated assault charge.

John Thibeault had faced a manslaughter charge in the April 2009 death of 64-year-old Sheldon Weinstein. The cause of death was ruled blunt force trauma.

Thibeault, 34, pleaded no contest to the lesser charge Thursday in Knox County Superior Court.

He also pleaded no contest to failure to appear in court for not showing up to a previous hearing in the case.

He was sentenced to three months on the failure to appear charge and will be sentenced at a future date on the assault charge, WABI-TV reported.

Thibeault was in prison for robbery in 2009 when Weinstein was killed.

INDIAN TOWNSHIP

Woman faces arson charge in fire that burned clothing

Investigators with the State Fire Marshal’s Office have charged an Indian Township woman with arson after she allegedly set fire to a suitcase full of her boyfriend’s clothing on her porch.

Julie S. Carver, 43, started the fire before dawn on New Year’s Day following an argument with her boyfriend, authorities said. He was asleep inside at the time.

Firefighters were called to the couple’s home at 19 Wolf Ave. just before 4 a.m. No one was injured and damage to the house was minor, according to the Department of Public Safety.

Carver was arrested Thursday afternoon and taken to the Washington County Jail.

PORTLAND

Multi-car accident on I-295 injures trooper, snarls traffic

A Maine State Police trooper was treated for injuries after a multi-car crash on Interstate 295 south of Tukey’s Bridge in Portland on Friday morning.

The crash was reported shortly after 10 a.m. Trooper Jessica Shorey was taken to Maine Medical Center with neck and back pain, was treated and released, police said.

Shorey had pulled over in the breakdown lane where two other cars had slid off the road because of black ice and snow, and her cruiser was hit from behind, police said.

Motorists reported slippery conditions and the speed on the Maine Turnpike was lowered to 45 mph from Kittery to New Gloucester.

I-295 southbound was closed to one lane while the vehicles were removed and traffic was backed up to Falmouth. The road was reopened by 11:30 a.m.

Police in several southern Maine communities reported crashes Friday as a result of slippery conditions.

BRUNSWICK

Inn’s attorney files appeal of federal jury’s decision

The legal battle between two Brunswick inns with similar names is not over.

A federal jury last month ruled in favor of The Brunswick Inn in its naming dispute with The Inn at Brunswick Station.

The winner was awarded $10,000, while the other establishment was told to change its name.

An attorney for The Inn at Brunswick Station says the jury got it wrong because the plaintiff did not meet its burden of proof. He told The Times Record he has filed a motion asking the judge to reconsider and overturn the verdict.

The Brunswick Inn opened in 1984 and has been operating under its current name since 2007. The Inn at Brunswick Station opened in 2011.

Because of the similar names, visitors and even emergency responders have gone to the wrong location.

Copy the Story Link