Snow Covered Roads Keep Police Busy
Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, Hancock County Sheriff and State Police Beats
BAR HARBOR—Snow covered roads caused a few crashes on December 4, as usually happens during the first snowstorm of the season.
Ryan Delacourt, 20, of Lincolnville, Maine, was driving a 2007 Audi A4 east on Eagle Lake Road in Bar Harbor, when the vehicle allegedly entered a skid due to the snow-covered road and struck a rock. There was no reported personal injury and the vehicle suffered minor damage to the front driver’s side corner.
Nathanael Pfohl, 28, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, was driving a 2013 Volvo C70 west on Champlain Road in Mount Desert when he allegedly lost control of the vehicle on the snow-covered road, left the roadway, and struck a tree in the backyard of a Lower Dunbar Road residence. There was no reported personal injury and the vehicle suffered front end damage.
And even the first responders can’t always escape the wrath of the weather. Officer Liam Harrington was operating a town-owned police vehicle northbound on Main Street in Bar Harbor, responding to an emergency call. Officer Harrington was allegedly unable to stop on the snow-covered road as he approached the intersection with West Street and hit a coping stone. There was no personal injury and the 2021 Ford F-150 sustained minimal damage to the front bumper.
The following incidents occurred in Bar Harbor and Mount Desert last week according to the Bar Harbor police log, which is publicly released information.
Monday, December 4, 2023
Officer Liam Harrington assisted a Bar Harbor resident who was experiencing a “mental health crisis” at approximately 12:33 a.m.
After receiving a 911 call, Officer Harrington assisted a Bar Harbor resident who was “experiencing crisis” at approximately 2:16 a.m.
Officer Harrington assisted a Bar Harbor resident who was “in crisis” at approximately 5:58 a.m.
Officer Ted Cake assisted a person having some mental health issues in Bar Harbor. The person was transported voluntarily to the hospital.
Officer T. Cake helped someone who had locked themselves out of their residence in Bar Harbor get back into their residence.
Officer T. Cake assisted someone in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Kaleb Payson provided someone a ride home in Bar Harbor.
Officer Troy Stanwood took someone into protective custody in Bar Harbor and transported them to the hospital.
An officer responded to Richardson Avenue in Otter Creek for a report of a parking issue. The owner of the vehicle was contacted and they moved their vehicle.
An officer responded to two complaints of parked vehicles impeding snow removal in Seal Harbor. One vehicle owner was contacted and moved their vehicle and the other vehicle owner could not be contacted.
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Officer Stanwood encountered some downed power lines on the Knox Road in Bar Harbor. The lines came down due to the snowstorm. No further information or disposition was given.
Lt. Kevin Edgecomb assisted the Mount Desert Highway Division with getting a vehicle moved on Jordan Pond Road.
Lt. Edgecomb responded to a report of a large branch on the side of Eagle Lake Road near the high school and moved the branch out of the way.
Officer Shelby O’Neil performed a well-being check in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
An officer went to Atlantic Avenue in Bar Harbor in response to a motor vehicle complaint and determined the complaint to be unfounded.
Officer Harrington responded to a medical call in Mount Desert. No further information or disposition was given.
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Officer Tim Bland handled a complaint of harassment in Bar Harbor and determined that there was no harassment.
Someone called the Bar Harbor Police Department to report a possible intoxicated driver in Trenton. The complaint was passed on to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
Officer Judson Cake assisted someone in Bar Harbor who had some questions regarding their driver’s license.
Someone reported a traffic hazard in Bar Harbor to the Bar Harbor Police Department. No further information or disposition was given.
The Mount Desert Police Department received some information. No further information or disposition was given.
Officers in Mount Desert received information to start a weapons restriction order on someone. As a result, the order was signed and served on the person and that person’s dangerous weapons are now in the possession of the police department.
Officer Payson responded to a report of a traffic hazard in Bar Harbor, located the hazard, and removed it from the roadway.
Terry Hayamizu, 64, of Bar Harbor, was driving a 2017 Subaru Forester east on Gilbert Farm Road in Bar Harbor and attempted a three-point turn. Hayamizu allegedly accidently drove off the road and got stuck causing minor damage to the front bumper. There was no reported personal injury and a tow truck got Hayamizu back on the road.
Thursday, December 7, 2023
Officer Bland responded to a motor vehicle complaint in Mount Desert but was unable to locate the suspect vehicle.
Officer Bland assisted another agency in Bar Harbor.
Officer Jerrod Hardy took a report of rocks in the road at the intersection of Eden Street and Eagle Lake Road in Bar Harbor but could not locate any rocks at this location.
Officer T. Cake responded to a report of large rocks in the road along Sound Drive in Mount Desert. Officer Cake notified DOT and removed several of the rocks from the roadway.
Officer Caleb Mora served a man in Bar Harbor court paperwork.
Also in Bar Harbor, Officer Caleb Mora served another man court paperwork.
Officer Bland served someone court paperwork at the police station in Bar Harbor.
After receiving a report from a school bus driver regarding a vehicle passing the school bus when it had its red lights flashing, Officer Hardy summonsed Maia A. Ferguson, 22, of Poland, Maine, for alleged passing a stopped school bus.
Someone reported damage to their vehicle after they hit a rock in the road in Mount Desert.
The Bar Harbor Police Department received some information. No further information or disposition was given.
Officers received a report of a vehicle being operated erratically on Route 3 in Bar Harbor but could not locate the suspect vehicle.
Officer O’Neil is investigating a report of harassment.
Sgt. Soren Sundberg spoke with a Mount Desert resident about the protection order process and helped them come up with a safety plan for the night.
Abigail Tadenev, 42, of Bar Harbor, was driving a 2015 Toyota and had stopped in the parking lot of the YMCA in Bar Harbor to drop off a passenger. A female juvenile was driving a 2013 Subaru and allegedly backed into the open door of Tadenev’s vehicle. There was no reported personal injury. Tadenev’s vehicle suffered minor damage and the other vehicle suffered no damage.
Friday, December 8, 2023
Officer Stanwood gave someone a ride home in Bar Harbor.
Officer Stanwood took a report of a broken fire hydrant that was spewing water into the street at the intersection of Mount Desert Street and Main Street in Bar Harbor.
Officer Amie Torrey checked on a man in Mount Desert at the request of his wife. The man was fine but his cellphone battery had gone dead.
Peter Lamoureux, 66, of Southwest Harbor, was driving a 2019 Ford Flex and was making a left hand turn off Harborside Road onto Harbor Dive in Mount Desert and allegedly struck a Ford Focus that was being driven north on Harbor Drive by Tracy Gunnings, 32, of Mount Desert. Lamoureux reported no injury while Gunnings complained of knee pain. He was cleared by medical staff at the scene. Both vehicles were towed due to disabling damage.
Mental Health Liaison Melissa Tozier followed up with a woman in Bar Harbor who was in need of mental health services.
Following a traffic stop in Bar Harbor, Officer Lukas Keene arrested Zachary Taylor, 29, of Mount Desert, for alleged operating under the influence.
Saturday, December 9, 2023
Officer Hardy mediated an interaction between parents in Bar Harbor who were having a child custody dispute.
Officer Keene transported someone home from the hospital in Bar Harbor.
Sunday, December 10, 2023
At the request of a parent, Officer Hardy was present while she got her son from her ex-husband in Bar Harbor.
Lt. Edgecomb attempted to retrieve an item from a residence in Mount Desert but could not locate the item. This matter is now a civil issue.
Lt. Edgcomb responded with the Mount Desert Fire Department for an unknown alarm sounding in the Rock End Road and Neighborhood Road area. It turned out to be a smoke detector sounding in a building undergoing renovations and it was disarmed.
Officer Mora took a report from a Mount Desert man that he was being harassed by a Southwest Harbor man. The District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute the case according to the press release.
Officers assisted the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office with locating a vehicle that was allegedly involved with a property damage complaint in Trenton. The vehicle was located on Route 102 in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Someone reported that there was a person that may need to be checked on in downtown Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
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.
Portland Woman Charged With OUI After Driving Wrong-Way On Interstate 295
On Monday, December 4, 2023, at approximately 11:22 p.m., the Augusta Regional Communications Center began receiving calls about a wrong-way driver headed northbound in the southbound lane in the area of mile marker 11 on I-295 in Falmouth. A Trooper was traveling southbound at mile marker 12 when he observed headlights traveling northbound in the southbound passing lane. The Trooper pulled into the breakdown lane to avoid being hit head-on. The Trooper then immediately turned his cruiser around, activated emergency lights and siren, and pursued the wrong-way vehicle, a 2018 silver Nissan Rogue, as it traveled northbound in the southbound passing lane.
When the vehicle would not pull over and the Trooper could see oncoming traffic headed southbound, he successfully initiated a precision immobilization technique (PIT maneuver) at mile marker 12.5 northbound to disable the wrong-way vehicle and force it into the center median. The driver of the vehicle, 67-year-old Ellen Honan, of Portland, was charged with operating under the influence, failure to stop for a police officer, and operating the wrong way on a divided highway. Assisting on scene were the Yarmouth Police Department, Yarmouth Fire Department, and Maine DOT.
Fire Marshal’s Office Investigating Fatal Fire In Harrington
On Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at approximately 7:32 p.m., the Harrington Fire Department responded to a fire at 19 Becky Lane in Harrington. When firefighters arrived, they discovered a truck camper on fire and a deceased individual inside. Investigators with the Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the scene. The deceased is believed to be 40-year-old Carol Curtis who was living in the camper on the property. It was not her property but she had permission to be there. The deceased was transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta where an autopsy will be performed. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office assisted. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Troopers Respond To Approximately 20 Crashes On Interstate 95
On Saturday, December 9, 2023, at approximately 12:30 p.m., Troopers responded to approximately eight crashes and slide offs due to black ice on Interstate 95 north of Waterville to the greater Bangor area. The interstate southbound from mile 174 to 159 was shut down due to the conditions. A tractor trailer ended up sideways across the interstate and there was one rollover crash. There were only minor injuries. Vehicles were temporarily at a complete stop at mile 158 southbound. The Interstate at 174 southbound has re-opened to traffic. A short time later Troopers responded to approximately 12 crashes and slide offs due to black ice at mile 188 southbound in Bangor. One person was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The State Police was assisted by county and municipal agencies. The speed limit was reduced to 45 MPH in the area.
Maine State Police Investigating Fatal Crash In Steuben
On Sunday, December 10, 2023, at approximately 1:30 p.m., Troopers responded to a single vehicle crash in Steuben. Initial investigation indicates the driver of a 2013 Chevy Malibu was traveling southbound on Unionville Road in Steuben when the vehicle came over the hill and went airborne. The driver lost control and the vehicle struck a large tree on the passenger side. The passenger was discovered deceased at the scene. The driver of the vehicle suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but speed appears to be a factor in the crash. The identity of the deceased will not be released pending the notification of next of kin.
The driver of the vehicle involved in Sunday’s fatal crash in Steuben was 18-year-old Chase Atwater, of Steuben. The deceased has been identified as 17-year-old Cole Merchant, of Sullivan. The crash remains under investigation.
Maine State Police Arrest Lisbon Falls Man On Child Exploitation Charges
On Monday, December 11, 2023, at approximately 8:00 a.m., the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit along with the Lisbon Police Department and agents from Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at 6 Ridge Road in Lisbon Falls regarding an on-line child exploitation investigation. Evidence was found on scene and 35-year-old Joseph Gibson, a resident of the home, was taken into custody on charges of dissemination of sexually explicit material, a class A felony and possession of sexually explicit material under 12 years of age, a class C felony. Out of an abundance of caution there was a soft lockdown at the nearby school as well as a short road closure. There is no threat to the public or the school.
HANCOCK COUNTY SHERIFF’S LOG
So sorry. I initially had this set for me (Carrie) as the author. It was Shaun. That's been rectified. It was rectified immediately actually.