Search team finds body of skydiving instructor lost in jump
LEBANON, Maine (AP) — Authorities in Maine on Friday found the body of a skydiving instructor who became separated from his student during a tandem jump.
Brett Bickford, 41, of Rochester, New Hampshire, and his student participated in a jump about 2 p.m. Thursday near Skydive New England in Lebanon, officials said. The student called police after he landed safely and couldn’t find his instructor.
A search team found Bickford’s body shortly before 5:30 p.m. Friday about 750 feet (228 meters) southwest of the Lebanon Airport runway, said Cpl. John MacDonald, spokesman for the Maine Warden Service.
Bickford was found as the team was completing one of the few remaining grid searches for the day, MacDonald said. Authorities suspended Thursday’s search around 9 p.m. and resumed Friday morning.
Investigators say Bickford and the student became separated about a mile above the ground, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said. Bickford didn’t have a backup parachute, McCausland said.
Bickford and the student used the same parachute in the jump, which is typical of a tandem jump. Police weren’t sure how the skydivers became separated.
The investigation to determine what caused the fatal skydiving accident is ongoing, MacDonald said.
The Maine State Police, Maine Warden Service and members from search and rescue squads were involved in the search for Bickford on Friday.
Police ID man who died when car crashed into Maine river
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Police in a Maine town say a man who died when his car crashed into a river was a 38-year-old resident of Portland.
Gorham police identified Jonathan Patry on Friday. The Portland Press Herald reports the cause of the crash was still under investigation.
Patry’s car was first seen in the Presumpscot River near the Gorham-Windham line on Thursday morning.
The car was found overturned in the water near a bridge. An employee of a moving and storage company called in the crash at about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday morning.
Maine sheriff: Man dies in Naples motorcycle crash
NAPLES, Maine (AP) — A Maine sheriff’s department says a man died during an early morning motorcycle crash in the town of Naples.
Just after midnight Sunday, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department received word of a motorcycle crash on Harrison Road in Naples.
First responders found the operator of the motorcycle deceased. The victim’s name was not released, pending notification of his family.
The operator was not wearing a helmet.
No other people or vehicles were involved in the crash.
The investigation is continuing, but the sheriff’s department says alcohol and speed appear to be factors in the crash.
Wardens: 4 injured in boat crash on Lower Richardson Lake
TOWNSHIP C, Maine (AP) — The Maine Warden Service says four people were injured in a boating accident on Lower Richardson Lake in northern Oxford County.
The crash was reported to the state police about 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Cpl. John MacDonald of the Maine Warden Service says the people in the boat included people staying at a local camp. The boat operator worked for the camp.
WGME-TV reports three of the four injured people were taken to Rumford Hospital, while the fourth, who suffered a slight laceration, drove himself.
Two of the more seriously injured people were flown to a Lewiston hospital while the third was taken there by ambulance. The fourth injured person drove himself to the hospital.
All are expected to survive.
The incident remains under investigation.
Connecticut man sentenced for manslaughter in Maine
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — A Connecticut man convicted of manslaughter in the death of his girlfriend’s husband has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Antoinne “Prince” Bethea, of New Haven, Connecticut, was convicted in the shooting death of Terrance Durel Sr. in Bangor. He was sentenced Thursday to 26 years in prison with all but 18 years suspended. The Bangor Daily News reports Bethea apologized in court to Durel’s family, saying he didn’t intend to kill Durel.
Durel’s mother Theresa Reed dismissed the apology, saying Bethea didn’t have to grab a gun in the first place.
Durel was shot outside a home that Bethea shared with Durel’s estranged girlfriend in April 2017. After the killing, Bethea shaved his dreadlocks and fled the state.
Bethea had previously claimed he acted in self-defense.
Maine turkeys giving no thanks as fall hunt begins
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine hunters love fall, but one of the state’s most popular game animals must think it’s for the birds.
That’s because the state’s wild turkey hunt gets started on Monday and runs until Nov. 7.
Maine’s wild turkey population has rebounded over the years to the point where it supports two popular hunts. One is the spring and the other fall.
The hunt is closed in parts of far northern Maine. Hunters are advised to check with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife before hunting. The bag limit also differs depending on where the turkey is harvested.
Monday is also the first day of the year for hunting ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail and pheasant.
State, feds to meet with public about invasive forest pest
LEBANON, Maine (AP) — Maine forest officials are meeting with the public to talk about the danger posed by an invasive forest pest that has been located in southern Maine.
The emerald ash borer has been discovered infesting trees in western York County. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry plans a meeting on Monday in Lebanon to talk about the discovery.
The borer has the ability to kill ash trees within two or three years, and it has killed hundreds of thousands of ash trees around the U.S. and in Canadian provinces. Officials with the forestry department plan to hold the meeting at Lebanon Elementary School. They’ll be accompanied by representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The department says it will discuss its response to the detection of the pest.
Receiver said there are no plans to scuttle Bangor Mall
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — A court-appointed receiver says the Bangor Mall’s tailspin is leveling off.
Frederick Meno, president and CEO of asset services at The Woodmont Company, tells the Bangor Daily News he sees room for improvement thanks to a good location and demographics. He said he’s not aware of any plans to foreclose on the mall, sell it or place it up for auction.
As the receiver company, Woodmont is responsible for the day-to-day leasing, management and operations of the Maine property.
Meno said he believes the “highest and best use” for the property is to continue as a mall.
He said the goal is to make physical improvements and to better market the facility. But first the goal is to fill empty stores in the mall.
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