Man With a Rifle Turns Out To Be a Man With a Tripod
Bar Harbor Police Log, Hancock County Sheriff's Department, State Police Incidents
BAR HARBOR— On Thursday, Officer Jerrod Hardy responded to a report of a man with a rifle in the area of the Stone Barn on the Crooked Road. Upon arrival, Officer Hardy determined that the man was holding a folded-up tripod.
The following incidents occurred in Bar Harbor last week according to the Bar Harbor police log, which is publicly released information.
Monday, September 25, 2023
Officer Elias Burne provided a ride to someone from MDI Hospital to their hotel.
After conducting a traffic stop, Officer Nathan Formby arrested Erin Santomenna, 28, of Portland, Maine, for alleged operating under the influence.
Officer Burne was advised of a motor vehicle complaint, but it was a late complaint and the suspect vehicle was no longer in the area.
Officer Amie Torrey is investigating a report of a vehicle passing a stopped school bus.
Carl Christoph, 62, of Hancock was driving a 2020 Ford Transit van and was attempting to merge after the Route 3 traffic light at the head of the island. Felix Mislang, 51, of Trenton was driving a 2015 Jeep Compass and also attempting to merge in the same area. Allegedly, the passenger’s side rear corner of Christoph’s vehicle hit the driver’s side front corner of Mislang’s vehicle, shredding the front tire and ripping off the front bumper. There was no reported personal injury, no damage to Christoph’s vehicle, and Mislang’s vehicle was towed from the scene.
Officers assisted the Bar Harbor ambulance with a medical call.
Officer Kaleb Payson received a report of a lost dog, but it returned home on its own.
An officer spoke with a Tremont woman regarding fraud. “A police report was taken.”
Officer Burne responded to a noise complaint and found that it was unsubstantiated.
Officer Liam Harrington took a report of a disorderly guest at a hotel. No further information or disposition was given.
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Officer Harrington spoke with someone in crisis. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Ted Cake assisted another agency with getting some paperwork signed.
Officer T. Cake received some information from someone. No further information or disposition was given.
Officers assisted the Bar Harbor ambulance with a medical call.
An officer spoke with a Bar Harbor woman regarding harassment that was occurring in Ellsworth. The incident was referred to the Ellsworth Police Department.
A wandering dog was located on School Street and transported by Officer Judson Cake into the police department where it was later reunited with its owner.
Officer J. Cake assisted the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department.
Officer J. Cake gave someone a ride home from the hospital.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Officer Tim Bland checked on a reported stranded motorist, but the vehicle was gone by the time he arrived.
Officer J. Cake took a report of some possible property damage and notified the owner of the possible damage.
Officer J. Cake responded to a parking complaint. Allegedly, the driver had parked legally but driven recklessly, and she was warned for reckless driving.
Mental Health Liaison (MHL) Melissa Tozier spoke with a Bar Harbor resident about mental health concerns.
Officer Payson had some information given to him. No further information or disposition was given.
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Sgt. Soren Sundberg assisted a stranded motorist.
Ross A. Schoembs, 77, of New York, was driving a 2023 Toyota Highlander and was attempting to perform a U-turn on Route 102 by turning to the left. Danielle L. Barnett, 49, of Alton, was driving a school bus behind Schoembs and allegedly struck the driver’s side rear of Schoembs’ vehicle when he attempted the U-turn. There was no reported personal injury. The school bus had front bumper damage and the Highlander suffered damage to the driver’s side rear.
Officer Bland responded to a non-reportable motor vehicle crash. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer J. Cake fingerprinted someone for an employment application.
Officer Hardy assisted the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department by locating a vehicle that had been involved in a dispute in Trenton and performing a traffic stop. A Hancock County Sheriff then responded to the traffic stop and resumed their investigation.
Someone reported a bicycle having been stolen to Officer Bland. No further information or disposition was given.
MHL Tozier conducted a well-being check on a woman in Bar Harbor.
Officer Bland fingerprinted someone for legal documents.
Sgt. Sundberg is investigating a reported theft from a business.
Officer J. Cake arrested Charles M. Mitchell II, 33, of Canaan, Maine, for alleged possession of schedule W drugs and alleged violation of conditions of release.
Sgt. Sundberg moved a deer that did not appear to be injured out of the roadway.
Officer J. Cake spoke with someone regarding a civil matter.
Friday, September 29, 2023
Office Lukas Keene took a late report of a motor vehicle accident because the complainant wanted it on record. Neither the scene nor the vehicle(s) were investigated due to the tardiness of the report.
Officer Keene handled a civil complaint regarding a tax return issue.
MHL Tozier conducted a well-being check on a woman in Bar Harbor.
Officer J. Cake went to the hospital to give someone a ride home, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding because the person needed an ambulance to take them home.
Officer J. Cake and MHL Tozier went to a man’s house to conduct a well-being check but were not able to make contact with the man. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Bland responded to a complaint of people urinating in Barker Park. There was no one at the park upon Officer Bland’s arrival.
Officer J. Cake arrested Kayla Fletcher, 30, of Bar Harbor, for two active arrest warrants. She was transported to the Hancock County Jail.
Somebody reported graffiti in the public restrooms.
Officer Harrington took a report of a motor vehicle complaint. No further information or disposition was given.
Russell Dalessio, 73, of Holden, Maine, was turning right onto Main Street from the Backyard Parking Lot. The 2015 Ford F-150 that Dalessio was driving allegedly hit a 2020 Dodge Durango which was legally parked and unoccupied on Main Street. There was no driver/owner information given for the Dodge. Both vehicles suffered minor scratches, and there was no reported personal injury.
Officer Troy Stanwood responded to a report of an illegally parked vehicle and upon his arrival found that it was on private property.
Officer Harrington took a motor vehicle complaint. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Burne performed a well-being check and found the person to not need any assistance.
Officer Burne responded to a trespassing complaint at a business. The business changed its mind shortly afterward and did not want a police response.
Saturday, September 30, 2023
MDI Hospital requested assistance with a dog bite report. Officer Hardy determined that the bite took place in Southwest Harbor and the owners of the dog also live there. Officer Hardy referred the hospital to the Southwest Harbor Police Department.
The police department received a report of an injured bird, but the bird eventually flew away on its own.
Officer Harrington responded to a report of a man being disorderly at a business. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Harrington responded to a noise complaint. No further information or disposition was given.
Sunday, October 1, 2023
Officer Harrington assisted the Bar Harbor ambulance with a medical call.
Officers assisted with traffic control for the Cadillac Challenge bicycle ride.
The police department received an SOS alert from a motor vehicle in the area near Hadley Point Road. Lt. Kevin Edgecomb responded but could not locate the described vehicle.
Someone reported losing a dog in the area of Eagle Lake Road. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Jerrod Hardy responded to a request from two motorists who had gotten into an argument over a parking spot and then called police. No further information or disposition was given.
An anonymous man called the police department to report loud music coming from aboard the Sky Princess cruise ship. Officers determined that the complaint was unsubstantiated.
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 Announce Three Arrests in 2017 Homicide Case
In the early morning hours of Saturday, October 28, 2017, investigators with the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office responded to a structure fire in Whitneyville. Soon after arrival, a body was discovered in the burned-out home. The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit North and the Evidence Response Team responded to the scene. The victim was later identified as the homeowner, 48-year-old Wayne Foss. The remains were transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta where an autopsy was performed and Foss’s death was ruled a homicide.
Despite an extensive investigation, the case remained unsolved. Like all unsolved homicide cases, it remained an active investigation and detectives vigorously pursued every lead in the case over the next six years. Last week, that diligence culminated with three people being indicted by a Washington County Grand Jury.
On Thursday, September 21, 2023, at approximately 4 p.m., Major Crimes Unit North detectives with assistance from the Maine State Police Tactical Team, Yarmouth Police Department, and Saco Police Department arrested 33-year-old Justin Matthews formerly of Pembroke, Maine, in Saco. Matthews was arrested on a warrant for murder, felony murder, arson, and robbery. Matthews was transported to the Washington County Jail where he is being held without bail.
On Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at approximately 5 a.m., 27-year-old Leanza Boney was arrested at his Staten Island, New York City, apartment by members of the United States Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and Major Crime Unit North detectives. Boney was arrested on a warrant for murder, felony murder, arson, and robbery. Boney was transported to the 107th Precinct in Queens for processing pending extradition.
27-year-old Basilio Liranzo, also from New York City, is currently incarcerated in the Maine State Prison on unrelated charges and will be charged with felony murder, robbery, and arson.
These three arrests serve as a reminder of the Maine State Police’s tireless commitment to solving crimes and seeking justice for victims and their families.
Waterville Woman Charged With OUI After Crashing Head-on Into Two Vehicles on the Interstate
On Thursday, September 28, 2023, at approximately 9:07 a.m., the Augusta Regional Communications Center (RCC) received a call about a minivan, a 2012 silver Toyota Sienna, traveling northbound on I-295 that had pulled over in the median at mile marker 24 in Freeport. At approximately 9:09 a.m., the Augusta RCC received complaints of a minivan that was stopping on the highway and then went off the road into the median near mile marker 28 in Brunswick.
The van left the scene before Troopers arrived. Troopers searched the area for the van but were unable to locate it. The van was later discovered southbound at mile marker 20 in Freeport. The operator of the minivan was identified as 30-year-old Marina Kinney of Waterville. The initial investigation indicates that Kinney, after leaving the scene in Brunswick, crossed over a median and started heading southbound in the northbound lane. Kinney then struck two different vehicles head-on.
The first vehicle was a 2019 Box Van registered to LCI Flooring of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It was operated by 37-year-old Travis Mullins of York. Mullins was treated on scene for minor cuts. The second vehicle hit was a 2013 Ford Transit van operated by 56-year-old Jose Menara of Woburn, Massachusetts.
Both Menara and Kinney were transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland with non-life-threatening injuries. Kinney was charged at the hospital with operating under the influence. The interstate was shut down for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes while the scene was cleared up. State Police were assisted by the Freeport Police Department and Freeport Fire and EMS. The investigation is ongoing.
Porter Man Armed With Sword Arrested
Agencies Involved: MSP Southern Field Troop, MSP’s Tactical Team and Crisis Negotiation Team, Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, and York County Sheriff’s Office
Date & Time of Initial Call for Service: Thursday, September 28, 2023, at 5:24 p.m.
Location of Call for Service: Porter, Maine
Summary of Call for Service:
On Thursday, September 28, 2023, at approximately 5:24 p.m., troopers with the Southern Field Troop responded to a residence on Colcord Pond Road in Porter for a report of an individual, 41-year-old Derek Redgate who was intoxicated, had assaulted an occupant of the home, and was waving a sword around threatening one of the occupants. Two occupants inside the home were able to get out safely, leaving Redgate the only person inside.
As Troopers were investigating the incident Redgate came out of the residence on two separate occasions waving his sword around before running back inside and barricading himself. The Tactical Team and Crisis Negotiation Team arrived on scene and began communicating with Redgate.
After several hours, at approximately 9:26 p.m., Redgate agreed to exit the residence where he lived. He was taken into custody without incident. Redgate was transported to the hospital and then to the Oxford County Jail where he was charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, class C, and creating a police standoff class E. The State Police would like to thank our partners at the Oxford County Sheriff’s office and the York County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with this incident.
HANCOCK COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT PRESS RELEASES
Disclosure: Both Shaun Farrar and Carrie Jones have worked with police departments and fire departments on the island. Carrie was the one who caught the dog on School Street mentioned in this blog.