POLICE LOG: Good Samaritans Come Through in Storm

Police are gonna get you to church one way or another!

Mar 12, 2024

BAR HARBOR–– Amongst the many calls to the Bar Harbor/Mount Desert Police Department during the storm on March 10, the third intense storm of the calendar year, Officer Jerrod Hardy gave a Bar Harbor resident a ride to church because it was raining.

Also on March 10, during the storm, Officer Caleb Mora responded to a tree that had fallen into and blocked a roadway in Bar Harbor. A good Samaritan stopped and cut the tree up with a chainsaw and assisted Officer Mora with removing the wood from the roadway.

Lt. Kevin Edgecomb responded to a report of a tree that had fallen and was blocking part of the travel lane on Route 102 in Bar Harbor, also on March 10, during the storm. A good Samaritan stopped and cut the top off the tree, clearing the road for traffic.

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.

Monday, March 4, 2024

Officer Chris Dickens received a report of a possibly impaired driver on Route 102 in Bar Harbor. Officer Dickens located and stopped the suspect vehicle and determined that the driver was not impaired.

Officer Elias Burne responded to a medical call in Bar Harbor.

Officer Amie Torrey handled a report of a box truck off the road in Bar Harbor and called a wrecker for the driver. No further information or disposition was given.

Officer Liam Harrington arrested Benjamin E. Hamor, 50, of Northeast Harbor, in Mount Desert, on an arrest warrant for failure to appear and transported Hamor to the Hancock County Jail.

Officer Harrington and other officers responded to the MDI Hospital in Bar Harbor to assist with a combative patient.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Officer Dickens handled a parking complaint in Bar Harbor.

Following a vehicle stop in Bar Harbor, Joseph Graston, 29, of Maine and New Mexico, was issued summonses by Officer Caleb Mora for alleged operating without a license, failure to register, and violating conditions of release. Graston was also warned for alleged traffic violations.

Ibrahim Yassen, 38, of Sullivan, was leaving a parking space in an MDI Hospital parking area in Bar Harbor and allegedly backed his 2017 Volkswagen into a 2013 Lexus that had been parked by David Sugerman, 63, of Bar Harbor. There was no reported personal injury and there was no damage to either vehicle.

Officer Ted Cake had a vehicle towed that had been abandoned along a public way in Bar Harbor for multiple days.

A vehicle was towed from a Mount Desert municipal parking lot at the request of the police department.

Officer Kaleb Payson received some information at the Mount Desert Police Department.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Officer Tim Bland assisted another agency in Bar Harbor.

Someone called the Bar Harbor Police Department to report a dog running loose. No further information or disposition was given.

Lt. Kevin Edgecomb responded to a motor vehicle complaint on the Crooked Road in Bar Harbor. He located the suspect vehicle, and had a conversation with the driver about their vehicle operation.

Someone called the Bar Harbor Police Department to report some trespassing. No further information or disposition was given.

Someone called the Bar Harbor Police Department to report bank fraud. No further information or disposition was given.

Someone called the Bar Harbor Police Department to report dogs running loose. No further information or disposition was given.

Lt. Edgecomb investigated a vehicle vs. bicycle accident that occurred at the intersection of Ledgelawn Avenue and Cromwell Harbor Road in Bar Harbor but was reported a bit after the event. The 20-year-old woman who was riding the bicycle suffered minor injuries; the vehicle that was driven by a 58-year-old man from Otis was not damaged, and the investigation is ongoing.

A Bar Harbor resident called the Bar Harbor Police Department with some concerns and the information was documented by Lt. Edgecomb.

An officer spoke with a woman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, regarding suspicious activity that was believed to have occurred in Bar Harbor. The activity actually occurred in Philadelphia and the woman was advised to call the Philadelphia Police Department.

Officer Lukas Keene received a trespassing report in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Following an investigation into a report of theft, Officer Keene arrested Jordan Doolan, 30, of Bar Harbor, in Bar Harbor, for alleged theft by unauthorized taking, class C, and alleged violation of conditions of release.

Lt. Edgecomb assisted the Mount Desert Ambulance with a medical call in Somesville.

Lt. Edgecomb received a motor vehicle complaint regarding a vehicle on Route 102 in Bar Harbor. The suspect vehicle had already traveled off the island and the complaint was passed on to the agency covering Trenton.

The Bar Harbor Police Department is investigating a sex offense that occurred in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.

Officer Troy Stanwood conducted an overnight security check at the MDI High School.

Friday, March 8, 2024

Officer Dickens responded to a complaint of an overweight vehicle on Sargeant Drive in Mount Desert, a road that had been posted for spring thaw.

Mental Health Liaison Melissa Tozier spoke with a Bar Harbor community member about personal conflict.

Officer Dickens took a report of a vehicle that was parked at a trailhead in Mount Desert after dark and located the owner who said that they had been on a late hike.

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Officer Payson responded to an animal problem in Mount Desert that was resolved prior to his arrival.

Officer Jerrod Hardy assisted a transient person in Bar Harbor by giving them some resource information and referred that person to the Mental Health Liaison.

A Bar Harbor resident called the police department because someone had knocked on her door offering a service and she thought it was suspicious.

Officer Mora performed a well-being check on a woman in Northeast Harbor but could not locate the woman. No further information or disposition was given.

Officer Shelby O’Neil received some information in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.

Officer O’Neil warned a driver in Bar Harbor for operating after suspension.

Officer O’Neil located a motorist with a disabled vehicle in Bar Harbor and gave them a ride to their residence because the vehicle was going to be towed.

Following a traffic stop in Bar Harbor, Officer Mora summonsed David Wilcomb, 76, of Bar Harbor, for alleged operating after suspension.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Officer Mora responded to a report of abandoned boat trailers in Bar Harbor that were being engulfed by sea water from the storm tides. There was no way for officers to get to the trailers.

Officer Mora responded to a tree that had fallen on power lines in Bar Harbor. The Bar Harbor Fire Department and Versant were notified.

Officer Mora responded to a report of debris in the roadway in Hull’s Cove in Bar Harbor. The Bar Harbor Highway Department plowed the debris out of the roadway.

Officer Mora handled another tree that had fallen into a Bar Harbor roadway. Maine DOT was notified of the tree.

Officer Mora received information about a subject with an active arrest warrant who may have been in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.

The Mount Desert Police Department received a call regarding a seal that was on the bank of Babson Creek in Somesville. Allied Whale was called and they sent someone to check on the seal who was determined to be fine.

Officer Burne conducted an agency assist in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.

Officer Burne handled a traffic hazard in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.

Officer Burne responded to a medical call in Bar Harbor.

Officer Nathan Formby performed a well-being check on someone in Bar Harbor and determined that the person was fine.

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.

Bomb Threat Leads to State House Evacuation

On Friday, March 8, 2024, a threat was emailed to a legislative member. The threats were made towards two legislators, the State House, and the Maine Democratic Party located at 320 Water Street in Augusta. The Maine Capitol Police was made aware of the threat at approximately 7:15 a.m. At that point the Capitol Police temporarily shut down and evacuated the Capitol building.

There were approximately 100 people in the building at the time. No one was injured. K-9 teams from the Maine State Police Bomb Unit responded to clear the Capitol. Capitol Police also coordinated with the Augusta Police Department and other local agencies to clear the Water Street location and homes of the two legislators. There were no explosives found at any location and the threat was deemed to be a hoax.

Maine State Police Makes Arrest in Bridgton Homicide

On Saturday, November 25, 2023, the Maine State Police and Bridgton Police Department investigated a suspicious death at a residence at 237 Pond Road in Bridgton. On Sunday, November 26, 2023, an autopsy was conducted by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Augusta. The deceased was identified as 51-year-old Benita Preo, of Bridgton. The OCME ruled the manner of death as homicide.

State Police Detectives investigated over the next three months and the case was presented to a Cumberland County Grand Jury. On Friday, March 8, 2024, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging 48-year-old Eric Knight, of Bridgton, with depraved indifference murder.

Preo and Knight were in a relationship and lived together at the Pond Road residence. On Saturday morning, March 9, 2024, the Maine State Police Tactical Team and Crisis Negotiation Team arrested Knight at his Pond Road residence in Bridgton without incident. Knight was transported to the Cumberland County Jail and is being held on $500,000.00 cash bail. Knight will be arraigned in Cumberland County Superior Court on Monday, March 11, 2024.

The cause of death is not being released at this time.

Emergency Telecommunicators in Maine to Benefit From Training Inspired by a Women’s Murder

On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, the Bureau of Emergency Communications will host a powerful training for more than forty emergency telecommunicators in Maine. The training called, A Victim’s Plea; Meeting Expectations, is an extensive and emotional training created in memory of Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old wife and mother who was kidnapped, raped and murdered in Northport, Florida in 2008. It’s a tragedy that could have been prevented if critical 911 failures did not occur that day.

Following her death Denise’s husband Nathan founded the Denise Amber Lee Foundation which uses the power of Denise’s story to help improve 911 emergency response systems and to motivate and inspire emergency telecommunicators to remember the critical role they play every day in public safety.

The training will be held at the Department of Public Safety in Augusta on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The media is invited to attend starting at 10 a.m. Photos and video is allowed. Interview opportunities with Nathan Lee and dispatchers in attendance will be available at noon.

TRAINING: A Victim’s Plea; Meeting Expectations

DATE/TIME: Wednesday, March 13, 2024, starting at 10:00 a.m.

LOCATION: Department of Public Safety, 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta, ME.