Thursday's Storm Claimed Many Vehicles but No Injuries
Plus Hancock County Sheriff's Department and State Police news
BAR HARBOR–– All of the following vehicle crashes took place during the snowstorm on Thursday, March 21.
Blaine Davis, 37, of Orono, was driving a 2018 Freightliner utility truck east on Cromwell Harbor Road in Bar Harbor when the vehicle allegedly lost traction due to road conditions. The truck left the roadway to the right and overturned, coming to rest on the passenger’s side.
There was no reported injury to the driver or passenger, who was not listed. The truck suffered disabling damage and was up righted and towed by a heavy wrecker.
Jose Mencia Matos, 27, of Nashua, New Hampshire, was driving a 2022 Ford F-250 which was pulling a compressor with wheels as a trailer and heading north on Eden Street in Bar Harbor. Fabian Gaynor, 34, of Trenton, Maine, was driving a 2013 Chevy Malibu and was behind Matos. Casey Willard, 23, of Lamoine, Maine, was driving a 2014 Ford F-350 and was behind Gaynor. Matos allegedly tried to slow down when the F-250 began to slide off the roadway to the right, over the curb, and into the bushes. Gaynor also allegedly tried to slow down and began to slide and hit the compressor that was being towed by the lead truck. Willard also allegedly tried to slow down to avoid Gaynor, but also slid off the roadway to the right and struck Gaynor’s vehicle. There was no reported personal injury. The F-250 suffered driver side rear quarter panel damage and a flat tire on the compressor. The Malibu suffered damage to the front-end and passenger side rear quarter panel. The F-350 suffered damage to the driver side rear bumper light.
Rachel Gott, 41, of Lamoine, was driving a 2014 Scion and heading east on the Eagle Lake Road in Bar Harbor when she allegedly lost control due to road conditions and struck a fire hydrant at the intersection with the Cromwell Harbor Road. There was no reported personal injury. The Scion suffered front-end and undercarriage damage and was towed from the scene.
Joy Hatfield, 52, of Ellsworth, was driving a 2019 Volkswagen Golf east on Crooked Road in Bar Harbor when she allegedly lost control due to road conditions. The vehicle struck a ditch, rolled over multiple times, and came to rest on the passenger’s side after having knocked down multiple mailboxes. There was no reported personal injury. The Volkswagen sustained major damage and was towed from the scene.
A 17-year-old, from Mount Desert, was driving a 2012 Subaru south on Sound Drive in Mount Desert when they allegedly struck some ice/slush and went off of the roadway. There was no reported personal injury. The vehicle suffered functional damage and had to be towed from the scene.
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 18, 2024
Caden Hartley, 20, of Bangor, was driving a 2011 Toyota pickup truck south on Sound Drive in Mount Desert when the truck allegedly hit a patch of ice and crossed the centerline, which caused it to travel across the roadway to the opposite shoulder. The truck rolled over completely and came to rest right side up. There was no reported personal injury. The truck sustained major damage to the top and front end and had to be towed from the scene.
Sgt. Chris Dickens responded to a report of a loud generator in the area of Skyline Pines Drive in Bar Harbor but found the area to be quiet upon arrival.
A seasonal resident of Bar Harbor reported to Officer Caleb Mora past trespassing issues with a neighbor.
Richard Peregoy, no age given, of Trenton, and Mary K. Migdal, no age given, of Mount Desert, were allegedly both backing out of parking spaces at a Jackson Lab parking lot in Bar Harbor when Peregoy’s 2011 Toyota Prius and Migdal’s 2022 Subaru Legacy collided. There was no reported personal injury. The Prius suffered scratches and a crack to the passenger side rear corner and the Subaru suffered scratches and a dent to the passenger side rear door.
Officer Amie Torrey received a complaint of speeders in an unspecified area of Bar Harbor. There was a directed patrol at that location.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Thomas Gilpatrick, 67, of Bar Harbor, was backing up a 2019 Ford coach bus in the Hannaford’s parking lot in Bar Harbor when he allegedly struck a parked 2017 Toyota Camry, last operated by Joyce Shaw, 76, of Trenton. There was no reported personal injury. The bus sustained no damage and the Camry sustained damage to the passenger side rear corner.
Sgt. Dickens checked on a member of the Good Morning Program in Bar Harbor and found them to be fine.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Officer Tim Bland is investigating a report of fraud in Bar Harbor.
Officer Ken Mitchell fingerprinted someone in Bar Harbor for employment purposes.
Officer Mora assisted another agency with a complaint in that agency’s jurisdiction. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Mora returned a dog that was running loose to its owner. The owner was warned for having a dog at large.
Following a motor vehicle stop, Leeman Hodgdon, 42, of Tremont, was summonsed by Officer Mora for alleged operating after suspension and alleged violation of conditions of release in Bar Harbor.
Officer Bland took a late report of a traffic crash in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Bland served paperwork in Bar Harbor for a court.
Officer Ted Cake checked on a vehicle in Mount Desert that appeared to be camped in. There was no one in the vehicle at the time and it was gone when Officer T. Cake checked on it again.
An officer checked on the well-being of a Bar Harbor resident and found them to be fine.
Officers assisted with a disorderly patient at a local business in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Someone reported debris in a tree in Bar Harbor. The debris was removed by the fire department.
Someone reported a vehicle operating erratically in an unnamed town, but Officer T. Cake could not locate the suspect vehicle.
Officer Shelby O’Neil received information from someone in Bar Harbor.
Mental Health Liaison Melissa Tozier checked on an elderly person in Bar Harbor with known medical concerns. No further information or disposition was given.
Someone in Bar Harbor called the police department to report a missing trash can in Bar Harbor.
Officer O’Neil gave someone a ride home in Bar Harbor.
An unknown caller called the Bar Harbor Police Department and stated that they were slashing vehicle tires in the police department parking lot. The area was checked, nobody was found, and there was no damage to any vehicles.
Friday, March 22, 2024
Albert Dominguez, 24, of Ellsworth, was driving a 2013 Nissan Rouge south on Route 3 in Bar Harbor when a deer allegedly entered the roadway and was struck by the Rouge. There was no reported personal injury. The vehicle suffered disabling damage and had to be towed from the scene.
Lynn Kenison-Higgins, 55, of Bar Harbor, was attempting to park a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe in a parking space on Cottage Street in front of the Bar Harbor municipal building. Higgins allegedly inadvertently hit the accelerator and drove up on the grass, striking the corner of the building. There was no reported personal injury. The vehicle suffered minor damage to the front bumper.
Sgt. Dickens conducted property checks in the area of Beech Hill and Ripples Road in Mount Desert.
Officer Jerrod Hardy assisted the Ellsworth Police Department with locating a person and their vehicle in Bar Harbor, but neither were at the person’s residence.
Officer Elias Burne responded to a motor vehicle complaint in Bar Harbor, but the vehicle had left the area before he arrived.
Officer Burne took a report of fraud in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer T. Cake responded to a motor vehicle complaint in Bar Harbor but could not locate the suspect vehicle.
Officer Burne took a report of theft in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Officers were made aware of a motor vehicle being operated in an erratic manner in Mount Desert. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Troy Stanwood conducted a well-being check on someone in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Officer Bland checked on a member of the Good Morning Program in Bar Harbor and found them to be fine.
James D. Roughsedge, 20, of Hampton, New Hampshire, was driving a 2014 Ford F-150 north on Schooner Head Road in Bar Harbor when he allegedly drove too far onto the shoulder, overcorrected, and went off the road to the left, striking a tree. There was no reported personal injury. The truck suffered damage to the front bumper, grill, and hood.
Hunter Payne, 25, of Bar Harbor, was driving a 2006 Land Rover on the Eagle Lake Road in Bar Harbor when he allegedly lost control and the vehicle rolled onto its side. Payne was transported to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. The vehicle was towed from the scene.
Officer Burne gave a Bar Harbor resident a ride home from the hospital.
A man in Bar Harbor requested transportation to a facility in Ellsworth. No further information or disposition was given.
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Officer Burne conducted a well-being check on someone in Bar Harbor that resulted in one person being transported to the hospital.
Sgt. Dickens spoke with someone regarding protest activity at a residence in Mount Desert. No further information or disposition was given.
Sgt. Dickens assisted someone on Woodbury Road in Bar Harbor with getting their loose dogs back home.
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.
MDEA PRESS RELEASE
BANGOR, MAINE—On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, following a two-month investigation, a Bangor woman was arrested and charged with felony drug trafficking offenses.
MDEA’s North Central Task Force recently opened an investigation into suspected drug trafficking occurring at a residence located at 166 Larkin Street in Bangor. During the investigation, agents conducted controlled purchases of fentanyl and cocaine base (crack) from 21-year-old Jade Willette, of Bangor.
On Tuesday evening, MDEA agents, assisted by the Bangor Police Department’s Special Response Team, executed a search warrant at the Larkin Street residence. As a result of the search warrant, approximately 40 grams of cocaine base (crack), approximately 40 grams of suspected fentanyl, 3 firearms, and over $1300 in suspected drug proceeds were seized. The estimated street value of the drugs seized is $10,000.
Willette was taken to the Penobscot County Jail and charged with three (3) counts of class A aggravated trafficking of schedule W drugs. The charges were aggravated due to the residence’s proximity (within 1000 ft) of the Vine Street School. More arrests are expected.
Booking photos are available through the Penobscot County Jail.
Assisting in the arrests and search warrant were officers from the Bangor Police Department, agents with U.S. DEA, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
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 Investigating Tractor Trailer Roll Over in Bangor
BANGOR—On Thursday, March 21, 2024, at approximately 9:00 a.m., troopers responded to a tractor trailer crash on Interstate 95 at mile marker 184 southbound in Bangor. Initial investigation indicates the driver, 34-year-old Edward Ross, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was traveling southbound on the interstate when he lost control of his vehicle causing the tractor trailer to roll over. Ross was not injured.
The crash shut down exits 185, 186, and 187. The right southbound lane continues to be closed while crews offload the truck, upright it, and remove it from the scene. That is expected to take another two hours or so. The tractor trailer was carrying french-fries. Driving too fast for road conditions appears to be a contributing factor in the crash. The crash remains under investigation.
Maine State Police Arrests Bradford Man Following Domestic Violence Incident
BRADFORD—On Monday, March 25, 2024, at approximately 7:00 a.m., the Maine State Police responded to a residence on Drake Road in Bradford for the report of a domestic violence incident involving an armed male and his wife. Troopers arrived on scene and made contact with 60-year-old Timothy Philpot, of Bradford. Philpot was carrying a firearm and was outside his residence on a public way refusing to comply with commands to surrender himself.
For the safety of the public in that area a shelter in place advisory was issued. Philpot’s wife was able to get out of the house safely and was not injured. After several hours of negotiation with the Maine State Police Crisis Negotiation Team, Philpot was taken into custody by the Maine State Police Tactical Team and troopers from the Northern Field Troop.
Philpot was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center and then to the Penobscot County Jail. Philpot has been charged with domestic violence criminal threatening, refusing to submit to arrest or detention, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, and felony level criminal mischief. The Bradford Fire Department and Mayo Regional Ambulance assisted on scene.
Maine State Police Investigates Fatal Crash in Farmington
FARMINGTON—On Monday, March 25, 2024, at approximately 6:30 p.m., the Maine State Police were requested to respond to the South Strong Road in Farmington to investigate a serious personal injury crash that occurred during a motor vehicle pursuit. As troopers were responding to the call, the driver of the vehicle, later identified as 32-year-old Joshua Burdin, of Strong, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident unfolded at approximately 4:59 p.m. when deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office were called to a residence in the town of Strong to investigate a sexual assault of a child. Burdin was immediately identified as the suspect and had fled the residence before officers arrived on scene.
At approximately 6:11 p.m., a Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy located Burdin driving a 2006 Subaru Impreza in Strong and attempted to make a traffic stop. Burdin failed to stop, leading deputies on a low-speed pursuit through Strong and into Farmington on the South Strong Road where Officers with the Farmington Police Department were able to successfully deploy spike strips. After the Subaru’s front tires were spiked, Burdin accelerated at a high rate of speed on the South Strong Road and struck a tree head-on.
The deceased was transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta where an autopsy will be performed. The crash remains under investigation.
Fire Marshal’s Office to Host Expired Marine Flare Disposal Day
The State Fire Marshal’s Office has scheduled an “Expired Marine Flare Disposal Day” for Saturday, April 13, 2024. The locations will be at Hamilton Marine in Portland, Rockland, and Searsport. Anyone who has expired marine flares can bring them to any of the Hamilton Marine locations from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on April 13, 2024, and the Fire Marshal’s Office will collect them for safe disposal. The Fire Marshal’s Office will be coordinating its efforts with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and Friends of Casco Bay. Please see the attachment for additional information.
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.
Hancock County Sheriff’s Department Press Release
SURRY—A sophisticated fraud scheme was thwarted by the diligent efforts of local law enforcement and federal agencies, resulting in the arrest of two individuals posing as employees of McAfee Protection.
The suspects allegedly hacked into a computer system and falsely claimed to have accidentally refunded the victims a sum of $30,000. Detectives Dylan Hall and Frank Jennings, Deputies Jon Mahon, Hunter Fernald, and Kamren Jennings, in collaboration with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and Homeland Security, were able to orchestrate a meeting with the suspects under the pretense of collecting the erroneously refunded money.
The victims had withdrawn the funds from their financial institution as per the instructions of the fraudsters. However, due to safety concerns, law enforcement intervened prior to the exchange taking place. The two suspects, Kozaa Burns, 36, of Texas, and Laterrion Taylor, 38, of Texas, were apprehended. They were subsequently charged with criminal conspiracy class C and criminal attempt class C. Following their arrest, they were transported to the Hancock County Jail.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of cybersecurity and the need for vigilance when dealing with unsolicited communications. The public is urged to report any suspicious activities to their local law enforcement agencies.
