Acadia National Park Rangers Retrieve Stranded Hikers from Bar Island
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Paradis Ace Hardware.
BAR HARBOR—On Sunday, December 8, at approximately 2 p.m., Acadia National Park rangers rescued two people who had become stranded on Bar Island due to the incoming tide.
Rangers launched one of the park’s small boats at Ells Pier in Bar Harbor, retrieved the stranded hikers, and brought them back to the fisherman’s float at Ells Pier without incident.
BAR HARBOR AND MOUNT DESERT POLICE LOGS
The following incidents occurred in Bar Harbor and Mount Desert last week according to the Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Police Department police logs, which is publicly released information.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Officer Caleb Mora took a delayed report of a trespassing motor vehicle in Bar Harbor. The complainant said that the vehicle damaged the property when leaving but there was no evidence to proceed with criminal charges.
Officer Troy Stanwood responded to a verbal domestic dispute in Mount Desert. No charges were filed.
A man in Bar Harbor reported to Officer Mora that his family in another state had changed his email and social media account passwords.
Officer Kaleb Payson gave someone in Bar Harbor a ride back to their residence.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Mental Health Liaison Melissa Tozier performed a well-being check on someone in Mount Desert.
Sgt. Doug Brundrett took a report of a loose dog on Main Street in Somesville but could not locate the dog.
Officer Ted Cake checked on a report that some traffic lights in Bar Harbor were not cycling properly but found them to be working as they should.
Officer T. Cake spoke with a man who was going door to door in Bar Harbor representing a solar power company and made him aware that the police department had received a complaint regarding his solicitation activity.
A second complaint was made in Bar Harbor regarding the solar solicitor, and the caller was made aware that police had made contact with him and he was legitimate.
Officer Amie Torrey received a report of a stolen fire pit in Otter Creek. There are no suspects or leads at this time.
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Officer Lukas Keene handled a complaint of a dog bite and a disorderly situation in Bar Harbor.
Officer Zack Kline responded to a Bar Harbor business at the business’ request to remove an employee that was acting disorderly.
Buford W. Goss, 48, of Mount Desert, was driving a 2018 Nissan van east on Eagle Lake Road in Bar Harbor when he allegedly lost control of the van due to icy conditions. The van went off the road, and struck ledge and a tree. There was no reported personal injury. The van had to be towed due to the damage and was towed by D.C. Towing.
Jacob Lane, 22, of Maine, was driving a 2003 Chevy SUV on Eagle Lake Road in Bar Harbor when he allegedly went off the road due to icy conditions. There was no reported injury. The SUV was not damaged but had to be towed back onto the road by D.C. Towing.
Officer Keene took a report of a parking issue in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Friday, December 6, 2024
Officer Stanwood took a report of a speeding vehicle on Eden Street in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Mora assisted the Ellsworth Police Department by locating and arresting a suspect in an assault that had occurred earlier in Ellsworth. Officer Mora located Charles J. McKay, 47, of Etna, in Bar Harbor and transferred him into the custody of the Ellsworth Police Department.
Sgt. Soren Sundberg removed a bag of trash from the roadway in Bar Harbor and disposed of it at the town’s transfer station.
Officer Stanwood received some information in Bar Harbor regarding a “domestic” situation.
Officer Stanwood also received some information in Bar Harbor regarding an ongoing civil dispute.
Sgt. Chris Dickens spoke with someone in Bar Harbor who was seeking information on a child custody matter.
Sgt. Dickens provided someone in Bar Harbor with information on temporary housing resources.
Officer Justin Burnett performed a security check at the Conners Emerson School in Bar Harbor.
Sgt. Dickens spoke with someone experiencing mental health related symptoms in Bar Harbor.
Someone gave Officer Burnett information regarding a vehicle honking its horn at night in Bar Harbor.
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Officer Stanwood led the Neighborhood House Frosty 5K in Northeast Harbor.
The relatives of a deceased individual in Otter Creek relinquished a firearm to the police department. The firearm had belonged to the deceased .
A report was made to the Maine Warden Service regarding an injured deer in Bar Harbor.
Officer Mora conducted a residential property check in Bar Harbor at the request of the property owner and found no people or vehicles at the residence.
Sgt. Brundrett received a delayed report of a motor vehicle complaint that had occurred in downtown Bar Harbor but could not locate the suspect vehicle.
Officer Liam Harrington assisted someone in Mount Desert.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Officer Payson handled a parking complaint in Mount Desert but determined that the vehicle in question was not an obstruction.
Officer Stanwood applied for an arrest warrant for hindering apprehension. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Mora took a complaint of misuse of laundry facilities in Mount Desert. This was not a law enforcement issue and the complainant was referred to the landlord of the property.
After conducting a traffic stop on an unnamed individual in Bar Harbor, Officer Mora conducted a probation search and found the person to be in compliance.
Someone reported a traffic hazard on the Oak Hill Road in Somesville. No further information or disposition was given.
Someone reported some information to Officer T. Cake in Mount Desert. After patrolling the area of the information, Officer T. Cake could not locate the source of the complaint.
Monday, December 9, 2024
Officer Torrey took a complaint from a woman in Bar Harbor that someone had changed her address on her personal banking and credit card information.
Officer Torrey assisted a driver in Bar Harbor by standing by his vehicle until a tow truck arrived.
Following a traffic stop in Bar Harbor, Officer Nathan Formby arrested Jill Barufaldi, 39, of Tremont, for two outstanding arrest warrants.
Officer Judson Cake checked a residence in Bar Harbor but could not locate anything suspicious after the resident called the police department reporting suspicious activity.
SOUTHWEST HARBOR AND TREMONT
The following incidents occurred in Southwest Harbor or Tremont last week according to the Southwest Harbor Police Department police log, which is publicly released information.
Monday, December 2, 2024
Chief John Hall responded to a complaint in Southwest Harbor of an elderly woman wandering in the road and becoming a danger to herself because of traffic. Chief Hall located the woman and took her to her residence. Once there, Chief Hall called the ambulance service because this was the second time recently that she had been wandering in the road. The ambulance service transported her to the emergency room for an evaluation.
Chief Hall responded to a request for assistance with a family member of the caller who was having mental health issues that may have been exacerbated by a medical issue in Southwest Harbor. The person was transported by ambulance to the hospital.
Chief Hall responded to Tremont for a report of a vehicle crash involving a deer. The crash was determined to be non-reportable and the deer ran off.
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Chief Hall is investigating a report of the theft of multiple items from a residence in Tremont that is being renovated.
Chief Hall responded to a reported verbal domestic situation in Southwest Harbor. By the time that he arrived, Chief Hall found that both parties had calmed down and a mutually acceptable resolution was reached.
Officer Bradley Russell assisted the ambulance service with a medical call in Southwest Harbor.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Officer Russell responded to a business burglar alarm in Southwest Harbor but was called off by the security company before he could arrive.
Chief Hall verified a VIN number for a Southwest Harbor resident.
Officer Russell is investigating a reported theft in Southwest Harbor in which somebody accessed the complainant’s bank account without authorization.
Officer Russell documented a reported traffic incident for a caller in Southwest Harbor.
Officer Russell is investigating a reported theft from a Southwest Harbor business.
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Chief Hall attempted to make contact with a person in Southwest Harbor to deliver a message for another local agency and found that the person hasn’t lived at the given address for a number of years.
After receiving a complaint of speeding on a Southwest Harbor roadway, Officer Russell told the complainant that he would look into the situation and have some directed patrols in the area.
Friday, December 6, 2024
Chief Hall spoke with a family in Southwest Harbor that was having troubles with their 14-year-old child. Chief Hall gave the family some options to try and they advised that they would try them out and see if they worked.
Officer Russell spoke with someone in Southwest Harbor who thought that they may be being harassed. Officer Russell determined and informed them that they were not being harassed and they discussed other options to resolve the issue .
Saturday, December 7, 2024
After receiving a complaint of domestic violence in Tremont, Officer Russell arrested Gregory Harper, 40, of Tremont, for alleged domestic violence assault. Harper was transported to the Hancock County Jail.
Officer Russell responded to a report of a boom truck entangled in power lines at a Southwest Harbor business but by the time he arrived, the operator of the truck had freed the truck from the lines.
Chief Hall and Officer Russell provided emergency lights for traffic safety at the buoy tree lighting in Tremont.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Chief Hall attended the Wreaths Across America event in Ellsworth.
STATE POLICE PRESS RELEASES
These are the Maine State Police press releases from the last few days. The Bar Harbor Story will include these each week though most (and sometimes all) do not occur on Mount Desert Island.
Maine State Police Investigating Homicide in Westbrook
WESTBROOK—On Thursday, November 21, 2024, at approximately 11:35 p.m., the Westbrook Police Department received a call for a medical emergency at 34 Lamb Street. Westbrook Police and Westbrook Rescue arrived and located 59-year-old Robert Seger unresponsive in a bedroom. First responders attempted to render aid and transported Seger to Maine Medical Center in Portland where he later succumbed to his injuries. Seger had suffered multiple blunt force injuries.
His roommate, the 911 caller, 47-year-old James Fowler, said they had an argument, and he left and came back. The Westbrook Police Department requested the assistance of the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South to investigate the death of Seger. The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit, Maine State Police Evidence Response Team, and the Westbrook Police Department continued to investigate Seger’s death and process the scene at 34 Lamb Street.
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta conducted an autopsy and determined the manner of death was homicide and the cause of death was blunt force trauma injuries. An arrest warrant was obtained for Fowler, of Westbrook. Fowler was arrested at approximately 7:35 p.m., on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at 34 Lamb Street for depraved indifference murder and transported to the Cumberland County Jail.
Maine State Police Investigating Body Found in Edgecomb
EDGECOMB—On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at approximately 9:30 a.m., the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a hunter who discovered an adult deceased male near the Schmid Land Preserve on Old County Road in Edgecomb. Detectives with the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit Central responded to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.
The deceased was transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta where an autopsy will be performed to determine cause and manner of death and to positively identify the deceased.
The deceased male located on December 3, 2024, near the Schmid Land Preserve on Old County Road in Edgecomb has been identified as 34-year-old William Nathaniel Robinson, of Austinville, Virginia. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta has determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. Robinson had been recently staying at a home in Edgecomb. There is no known danger to the public at this time. The investigation continues and additional information will be released when it becomes available.
Maine State Police Investigating Crash that Shut Down I-295 Northbound in Gardiner
GARDINER—On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at approximately 1:27 p.m. the Bangor Regional Communications Center received multiple calls reporting a crash involving a tanker truck and a dump truck at mile 49 in West Gardiner. Troopers from Troop I and the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit responded to the scene and learned a truck operated by Dube Transport Inc. of Sidney, Maine, and driven by 61-year-old Allen Hewett of Sidney, Maine, was traveling north on I-295 in West Gardiner. At the same time maintenance crews from the Maine Turnpike Authority were working to pick up a lane closure that had been in place for toll plaza repairs.
The Maine Turnpike workers were in the process of collecting cones and were using a dump truck equipped with a crash attenuator trailer to shield the workers from approaching vehicles. Hewett, traveling in the same lane as the turnpike workers failed to yield as required by law and move over for the slowed maintenance truck, and crashed directly into the crash attenuator. The truck driven by Hewett rolled over and careened into the cable guardrail, spilling nearly all 8000 gallons of its landfill leachate aka “dirty water”. The Maine Turnpike truck was severely damaged and landed across both northbound highway lanes.
The driver of the Maine Turnpike truck received minor injuries and was transported to Maine General Hospital in Augusta for treatment. Hewett was issued a citation for failing to maintain control of a motor vehicle and failing to yield to a highway maintenance vehicle. The State Police were assisted on scene by Maine DOT, Maine Turnpike Authority, Maine DEP, Gardiner Police and Fire Department, Dube Transport Inc., and AC Towing.
Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Arrests Six for Drug Trafficking Offenses in Addison
ADDISON—The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency announces the arrests of 6 people for drug trafficking offenses following two search warrants executed early Wednesday morning. Drugs, drug proceeds, and several firearms were seized as a result of the warrants.
On the morning of Wednesday, December 4, 2024, with the assistance of the Maine State Police Tactical Team, two search warrants were simultaneously executed on the East Side Road in Addison. The search warrants were the result of a month’s long drug trafficking investigation at 369 East Side Road and 870 East Side Road which included undercover purchases of fentanyl and cocaine base (crack) from both residences.
Arrested were:
Adrian Batson, 60, no town/state of residence given – class B unlawful trafficking of fentanyl – $50,000 cash bail.
Juancel Ledesma Pujols, 20, of Dominican Republic – class A aggravated trafficking of fentanyl. The charge was aggravated due to the possession of a firearm in the furtherance of the offense. – $50,000 cash bail.
Dioverys Roberto De La Rosa-Castillo, 26, of Dominican Republic – class A aggravated trafficking of fentanyl. The charge was aggravated due to the possession of a firearm in the furtherance of the offense. – $50,000 cash bail.
Bret Burke, 55, of Addison – class B unlawful trafficking of fentanyl – $60,000 cash bail.
Michelle Wright, 49, of Addison – class A aggravated trafficking of schedule W drugs. The charge was aggravated as a result of prior drug trafficking convictions. – $50,000 cash bail.
Yiraldis De Los Santos Valenzuela, 28, of Dorchester, MA. – class A aggravated trafficking of fentanyl. The charge was aggravated due to the possession of a firearm in the furtherance of the offense. – $50,000 cash bail.
During the execution of the search warrant at 369 East Side Road, both De la Rosa Castillo and Pujols attempted to flee from a rear window and were quickly apprehended by Tactical Team members.
As a result of searches at both residence’s, over 150 grams of fentanyl, over 20 grams of cocaine base (crack), 3 handguns, and over $10,000 dollars in suspected drug proceeds were seized.
The approximate retail value of the seized drugs is $22,000.
Maine Drug Enforcement’s Down East Task Force was also assisted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the United States Border Patrol, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maine Warden Service.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The MDEA stands committed to working with all federal, state, county, and local law enforcement partners in order to continue to identify and disrupt drug trafficking organizations who are attempting to distribute illicit drugs like fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine in the State of Maine.
If you or someone you know suffers from substance, use disorder, please call 211 or text your zip code to 898-211 for a list of resources available in your area.
If you have information about this investigation or the illegal sale of drugs in your community, you are urged to contact the Maine Drug Enforcement office closest to you or by texting MDEA to TIP411 (847411) or by calling the MDEA tip-line at 1-800-452-6457.
Maine State Police Investigating Crash on I-95 in Bangor
BANGOR—On Monday, December 9, 2024, at approximately 6:55 a.m., the Bangor Regional Communications Center took multiple reports of a serious personal injury crash on I-95 at mile-marker 181 in Bangor. Upon arrival, troopers from Troop I found several motorists rendering aid to the male driver of a vehicle who had been ejected and was lying on the roadway. The driver was alive and talking. Bangor Fire and EMS arrived on scene and took over care for the male operator, who was identified as 25-year-old Kenneth Cartledge, of Beverly, Massachusetts. Cartledge was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center where he is listed in serious but stable condition.
The initial investigation indicates that the Cartledge was traveling southbound when he lost control of his 2002 Ford F-250 pickup before crossing the center median and entering the northbound lane of travel. After entering the northbound lane, Cartledge’s vehicle overturned, and he was ejected. He was not wearing a seatbelt. The vehicle ended up on its side, in the northbound lane, blocking both lanes of travel. This resulted in a traffic back-up and later a full shutdown. Initial findings indicate Cartledge was driving too fast for road conditions. Troop I was assisted on scene by the Northern Field Troop, Bangor Fire Department, and Union Street Towing.
HANCOCK COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
The following are the public releases from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department. Each image can be clicked on and expanded.
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