Illegal Parking Job Leads to Accident on Cottage Street in Bar Harbor.
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BAR HARBOR—On October 6, the Bar Harbor Police Department received a parking complaint on Cottage Street and when Officer Ted Cake arrived in the area, he discovered a crash at the corner of Eden Street and Cottage Street.
A 2019 Dodge Challenger had been parked on the southwest corner of Cottage Street in the yellow no-parking zone. According to the police press release, the driver of the Dodge, Jesse Cherry, 23, of Alabama, pulled out into traffic and was attempting to make a right-hand turn onto Eden Street when he struck a 2008 Toyota RAV4 that was being driven by Brandie Higgins, 50, of Ellsworth. Higgins was attempting to make a left-hand turn off Eden Street onto Cottage Street.
Because the Dodge came to rest blocking both travel lanes on Cottage Street, the accident closed Cottage Street at Eden Street until a tow truck could arrive.
There were no reported injuries. Both vehicles suffered disabling frontend damage and had to be towed form the scene.
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.
NOTE: Due to the increased volume of calls during the summer and early fall, we are not going to print minor traffic accidents.
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Officer Kaleb Payson took a complaint of threatening behavior in Bar Harbor and issued a no trespass warning to someone for the complainant’s property.
Officer Payson responded to a motor vehicle complaint in Bar Harbor, located the suspect vehicle, and spoke with the operator about his driving.
Officer Payson responded to a motor vehicle complaint in Bar Harbor, located the suspect vehicle, and spoke with the operator about their driving.
Officer Payson completed a sex offender registry verification for a Bar Harbor resident.
Officer Lukas Keene handled a motor vehicle complaint in Bar Harbor and determined that there were no traffic infractions.
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
A motor vehicle complaint was made in Bar Harbor, but there were no officers in a position to intercept the suspect vehicle.
The Bar Harbor Police Department took a report of political signs being tampered with.
Officer Troy Stanwood provided traffic control for a vehicle that was disabled in Bar Harbor.
The Bar Harbor Police Department took a report of a vehicle in a no-parking zone and a parking violation ticket was issued.
The Bar Harbor Police Department took a request for a well-being check but the issue resolved itself before an officer could arrive.
Sgt. Chris Dickens met with two Bar Harbor residents to discuss parking plans for an upcoming wedding.
Thursday, October 3, 2024
Following a traffic stop in Bar Harbor, Officer Liam Harington issued Silverrose R. Cunningham, 30, of Franklin, a summons for alleged operating a motor vehicle without a license.
Following a traffic stop for imprudent speed in Mount Desert, Officer Justin Burnett issued Harley Class, no age given, of Stonington, a traffic citation for alleged speeding and a summons for alleged illegal transportation of drugs by a minor.
Sgt. Dickens served a court subpoena to someone in Bar Harbor on behalf of the Hancock County District Attorney’s Office.
Officer Harrington issued paperwork to someone in Bar Harbor on behalf of another agency.
Officer Stanwood served someone in Bar Harbor a subpoena.
Following a traffic stop in Bar Harbor, Zachary Taylor, 29, of Otter Creek, was issued a summons by Officer Caleb Mora for alleged operating after suspension.
Officer T. Cake served a subpoena to someone in Bar Harbor.
Someone reported a vehicle being operated in an unsafe manner in Mount Desert, but there were no officers in the area at the time.
Officer Stanwood served a subpoena to someone in Bar Harbor.
Someone in Mount Desert inquired with Officer Stanwood about seeking a no trespass notice for their property.
Officer Stanwood is investigating a report of theft in Mount Desert stemming from an online sale.
Officer Mora served an Ellsworth man a subpoena in Bar Harbor.
Following a complaint regarding a man drinking and yelling at people in Bar Harbor, Arthur Sheperd, 68, no hometown given, was arrested by Officer Mora for alleged probation violation and transported to the Hancock County Jail.
Officer Mora delivered a message in Mount Desert for a business in Bar Harbor.
Sgt. Dickens added the traffic exchange at the head of the island to the department’s roster for additional enforcement patrols.
Friday, October 4, 2024
Officer Burnett gave a Bar Harbor resident a ride home from the hospital.
Officer Amie Torrey performed a well-being check in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Torrey is investigating a reported assault between two juveniles in Bar Harbor.
An officer responded to a report of a vehicle blocking a driveway in Bar Harbor and was able to get the owner to move it.
Officer Torrey received a complaint of possible drug activity. No further information or disposition was given.
The Bar Harbor Police Department assisted with training at the middle school.
Officer Torrey responded to a report of a person hunched over in the bushes in Bar Harbor but did not locate anyone.
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Officer Judson Cake took a repot of a lost dog in Mount Desert.
Officer Torrey received a report of possible stolen political signs in Mount Desert.
Officer Ted Cake performed a well-being check in Bar Harbor and found the person to be fine.
Officer Torrey received a report of erratic operation in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Sgt. Soren Sundberg took some information from a Bar Harbor business.
Sgt. Dickens took a report from someone in Bar Harbor that they were receiving harassing texts from someone in another jurisdiction. Sgt. Dickens spoke with an officer in the other jurisdiction and asked them to follow up with the alleged harassing text sender.
Another law enforcement agency requested assistance from the Bar Harbor Police Department with a criminal investigation.
Sgt. Dickens moved a car along from the yellow no parking zone in front of Rosalie’s Pizza in Bar Harbor after receiving a complaint about it.
Sgt. Dickens assisted MDI Hospital with getting an involuntary committal form signed by a justice of the peace.
Officer J. Cake handled a noise complaint in Bar Harbor and deemed it unsubstantiated.
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Officer J. Cake drove two people from MDI Hospital back to their hotel in Bar Harbor.
Sgt. Sundberg warned someone for criminal trespass at MDI High School after they refused to leave when school staff asked them to.
Someone in Bar Harbor reported a scam to Officer T. Cake.
Officer Keene responded to a noise complaint in Bar Harbor and quieted the noisy people down for the night.
Sgt. Dickens spoke with someone in Bar Harbor about harassment occurring at a local business but no suspect was identified.
Monday, October 7, 2024
After receiving a complaint about a vehicle with no headlights, Sgt. Jerrod Hardy located the vehicle and found that the headlights were on but not the taillights. The operator was not familiar with the rental vehicle and Sgt. Hardy showed them how to properly operate the lights.
An officer from the Bar Harbor/Mount Desert Police Department responded to Tremont to assist an officer with the Southwest Harbor Police Department at their request.
SOUTHWEST HARBOR AND TREMONT
The following incidents occurred in Southwest Harbor last week according to the Southwest Harbor Police Department police log, which is publicly released information.
NOTE: Due to the increased volume of calls during the summer and early fall, we are not going to print minor traffic accidents.
Monday, September 30, 2024
Sgt. Ryan Blakeney received a report of a stolen bicycle from a Southwest Harbor residence.
Sgt. Blakeney responded to a report of a deer that had been struck by a vehicle in Southwest Harbor and had to dispatch the deer.
Sgt. Blakeney was attempting to perform a well-being check on a Tremont resident but was called off because the requesting person had made contact with the person that they were concerned about.
Sgt. Blakeney responded to a report of a deer that had been truck by a vehicle in Tremont but was unable to locate the deer upon arrival.
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
An officer from the Southwest Harbor Police Department did a school visit at the Pemetic School in Southwest Harbor.
An officer from the Southwest Harbor Police Department did a school visit at the Tremont School in Tremont.
Sgt. Blakeney responded to a burglar alarm at a Southwest Harbor residence and determined that the housekeeper had set it off.
Sgt. Blakeney assisted a Southwest Harbor resident with getting back into their apartment after locking themselves out.
Sgt. Blakeney responded to a report of a suicidal juvenile in Tremont and after speaking to all of the people involved took no further action.
Sgt. Blakeney took a report from a Southwest Harbor resident of threatening text messages but the complainant advised Sgt. Blakeney that this was an existing complaint that Sgt. Blakeney was already investigating.
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Sgt. Blakeney responded to a noise complaint in Southwest Harbor but was unable to locate any noise upon his arrival.
Sgt. Blakeney assisted a Southwest Harbor resident with getting back into their apartment after locking themselves out.
Officer Bradley Russell took a report of a child’s bicycle that was missing from a Southwest Harbor residence. The bicycle was located at a local business and returned to the owner.
Officer Russell responded to a motor vehicle complaint in Southwest Harbor but could not locate the suspect vehicle.
Thursday, October 3, 2024
Sgt. Blakeney performed a well-being check on a juvenile in Southwest Harbor but could not locate the juvenile. Sgt. Blakeney then made contact with the juvenile’s aunt who said the juvenile was with her and was safe.
Someone in Southwest Harbor advised the Southwest Harbor Police Department that they thought they saw someone placing or removing a “skimmer” device on an ATM machine. The bank was notified of the report and the report is under investigation.
Sgt. Blakeney took a report from a Southwest Harbor juvenile who wanted to report a crime.
Sgt. Blakeney served some paperwork at a Southwest Harbor residence.
Sgt. Blakeney responded to a report of someone in Southwest Harbor who was having a mental health crisis. Sgt. Blakeney was able to talk the person into going to MDI Hospital and transported the person there.
Sgt. Blakeney took a report from a Southwest Harbor resident that they could see a flashlight across from their house for approximately 30 minutes and then the light disappeared. Sgt. Blakeney checked the area and could not locate anything.
Friday, October 4, 2024
Sgt. Blakeney responded to a request for assistance from a Southwest Harbor resident and provided the assistance they needed.
Chief John Hall performed school zone checks at both the Pemetic and Tremont schools.
Chief Hall assisted a person in Southwest Harbor whose partner was having a mental health crisis.
Officer Russell served some paperwork at two residences in Tremont.
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Sgt. Blakeney responded to a parking complaint in Tremont and issued a number of parking tickets.
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Officer Russell responded to a trespassing complaint in Bass Harbor and the unwanted person left voluntarily.
Officer Russell handled a complaint of someone parking their vehicle on another person’s property in Tremont.
Officer Russell followed up with someone in Southwest Harbor on a complaint on behalf of another agency.
STATE POLICE PRESS RELEASES
These are the Maine State Police press releases from the last few days. The Bar Harbor Story will include this each week though most (and sometimes all) do not occur in Bar Harbor.
Maine State Police Investigates Fatal Motorcycle/Moose crash
T2 R9—On September 30, 2024, at 7:00 p.m., Troop I and Northern Field troopers responded to a motorcycle vs. moose crash at mile marker 240 southbound in T2 R9. 50-year-old Anand Sreedharan, of Princeton, New Jersey, was traveling southbound when a moose crossed into his lane and was struck by his motorcycle. Sreedharan was ejected from the motorcycle and ultimately succumbed to his injuries. The moose was also deceased. The Maine State Police was assisted by multiple agencies. The crash remains under investigation.
Maine Drug Enforcement and Bangor Police Arrest Two For Drug Trafficking
BANGOR—On Tuesday, October 2, 2024, following a traffic stop on Union Street in Bangor, two individuals were arrested and charged with felony drug trafficking offenses.
MDEA’S North Central District Task Force received information about two individuals traveling to Maine from Massachusetts for the purpose of distributing drugs in Northern Penobscot County.
Based on the information received and prior intelligence developed by MDEA, agents along with the Bangor Police Department were able to conduct a traffic stop on Union Street in Bangor. Identified in the vehicle were 31-year-old Jasmine Donovan, of Monticello, Maine, and 29-year-old Sandy Alexander Mateo-Ruiz, of the Dominican Republic.
Subsequent to the traffic stop, a K-9 sniff was conducted by Bangor Police. The K-9 detected an odor of narcotics in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle was then conducted. Seized from the vehicle was approximately 290 grams of fentanyl and $560 dollars in suspected drug proceeds. The estimated street value of the drugs is over $40,000.
Donovan and Mateo-Ruiz were arrested and transported to the Penobscot County Jail. Both are charged with aggravated trafficking schedule W drugs (fentanyl). Bail for Mateo-Ruiz was set at $100,000 cash. Bail for Donovan was set at $50,000 cash or Surety.
Agents were also assisted on the stop by the U.S. DEA and Homeland Security.
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 in the State of Maine.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Maine Drug Enforcement Arrests Three for Drug Trafficking in Bangor
BANGOR—On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, following a month’s long investigation, three individuals were arrested and charged with felony drug trafficking offenses.
MDEA’S North Central Task Force opened an investigation into suspected drug trafficking occurring at an apartment located at 247 Ohio Street in Bangor. During the investigation, agents conducted controlled purchases of fentanyl from 25-year-old Brandon Bautista.
On Wednesday morning MDEA Agents, assisted by the Bangor Police Department and U.S. DEA, executed a search warrant at the Ohio Street residence. As a result of the search warrant, over 10 pounds of methamphetamine, over 3.5 pounds of fentanyl, over 2 pounds of cocaine, 3 handguns, and over $120,000 in suspected drug proceeds were seized. The estimated street value of the drugs is estimated to be over $750,000.
Arrested and charged with aggravated trafficking schedule W drugs are;
Brandon Bautista, 25, of Bangor,
Lacey Sockabasin, 28, of Bangor,
William Wright , 31, of Bangor.
Aggravating factors in the case include drug weight, firearms, and the residence’s close proximity to the Hilltop Pre-School, which sits directly across the Street from the residence.
At the time of his arrest Wright was out on bail for aggravated trafficking of cocaine base and aggravated trafficking of fentanyl.
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 in the State of Maine.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If you suffer with 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 Investigates Double Homicide in Bath
BATH—On Sunday, October 6, 2024, shortly before 7:00 a.m., the Bath Police Department responded to 10 Crawford Drive in Bath for reports of a shooting. Upon arriving on scene officers from the Bath and Brunswick Police Departments and Deputies from the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office located two adult women suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite lifesaving efforts both women were pronounced deceased on scene.
The suspect initially was reported as having fled the scene following the shooting. The Maine State Police Tactical Team was called and located the suspect deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the residence at 10 Crawford Drive.
The adult women have been identified as 58-year-old Lisa Bailey and her daughter 32-year-old Jennifer Bailey, of Bath. The suspect is 66-year-old Michael Bailey of Bath. He was married to Lisa and father of Jennifer. The deceased have been transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta where autopsies will be performed.
The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit and the Bath Police Department continue to investigate the incident to piece together the timeline of events. If you have any information, please reach out the State Police Major Crimes at 207-624-7143 or the Bath Police Department at 207-443-8339.
Maine State Police/Fire Marshal’s Office Make Arrest in Fatal Arson Fire in Mexico
MEXICO—On Thursday, September 26, 2024, at approximately 7:09 a.m., Oxford County dispatch received a 911 call reporting a fire at 5 Tucker Street in the town of Mexico. The Mexico Fire Department and several area fire departments responded to the scene. First responders observed a fire burning, primarily from the front porch area. Firefighters were able to rescue one female from the residence using a ladder. She was not injured. Once the fire was extinguished firefighters on scene discovered a deceased female inside the residence.
The Maine State Fire Marshal’s office responded to the scene as well as the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South to conduct an investigation. The deceased female was transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta where an autopsy was performed. information will be released at a later date.
The deceased female discovered inside the residence in Mexico on Thursday, September 26, 2024, was later identified as 23-year-old Lacey Tidswell of Mexico.
On Friday, October 4, the Maine State Police and Fire Marshal’s Office made an arrest in the arson related death of 23-year-old Lacey Tidswell of Mexico. 23-year-old Elijah Cowper, of Mexico, was arrested and charged with arson and murder. Cowper was already being held at the York County Jail on an unrelated charge.
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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