We Now Know Why the Chicken Crossed the Road
And other exciting law enforcement news
BAR HARBOR—On Tuesday, March 12, Officer Chris Dickens responded to a report of a chicken hanging out in the area of the Park Street and Ledgelawn Avenue intersection in Bar Harbor but failed to locate the fowl.
Like any successful escapee, the chicken hid on its owner’s porch upon seeing the police vehicle approaching from the north. As witnessed by this reporter, the chicken stayed out of sight on the porch and waited for Officer Dickens to circle the block and make another pass by.
After Officer Dickens left the area, the chicken came off the porch for some more leg stretching and an impromptu photo shoot. The chicken then crossed the road (now we know why) and asked to be let back into her yard.
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 11, 2024
Officer Nathan Formby assisted someone in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Caleb Mora took a report of a verbal domestic situation in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Lt. Kevin Edgecomb assisted a former Mount Desert resident with getting a vehicle back that had been left behind when they moved. The vehicle was retrieved by the owner/former resident.
Lt. Edgecomb assisted the Mount Desert Fire Department with a medical call.
Officer Chris Dickens spoke with someone in Bar Harbor regarding a trespassing issue and reminded that person not to return to the property in question.
Mental Health Liaison Melissa Tozier spoke with someone in Bar Harbor who has a history of mental illness.
MHL Tozier met with someone in Bar Harbor who has no home and other unmet needs.
Officer Dickens conducted a well-being check in Bar Harbor and found the individual to be okay.
Officer Mora responded to a report of a suspicious item in Bar Harbor and determined it to be trash.
Officer Mora tried to locate a vehicle that was the subject of a motor vehicle complaint in Bar Harbor but could not locate it.
An officer is investigating a report that a vehicle passed a stopped school bus that had its red lights flashing on Main Street in Bar Harbor.
Officer Troy Stanwood checked on a report that water was flowing into the road on Peabody Drive near Little Long Pond in Mount Desert and found the road to still be passable.
An officer took information from an Eden Street business in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Officer Amie Torrey received a report of an administrative liquor license violation in Bar Harbor and as a result of an investigation, summonsed Danielle M. Altvatar, 29, of Bangor, with allegedly allowing an employee or entertainer to consume alcohol while on duty.
Officer Torrey received a motor vehicle complaint regarding erratic operation in Bar Harbor. The suspect was eventually stopped by the Ellsworth Police Department and arrested for alleged operating under the influence.
Officer Formby took a report of suspicious activity in Bar Harbor. The complaint was documented and there will be extra police patrols in the area.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Becky Jarvis, 42, of Mount Desert was driving a 2023 Cadillac SUV behind a construction vehicle that was owned by Doug Gott and Sons, of Southwest Harbor, on Sound Drive in Mount Desert when a rock allegedly came off of the truck and struck the front windshield of the Cadillac, chipping it. There was no reported personal injury.
Morgan Daley, 24, of Bar Harbor, was driving a 2004 Infiniti and backing out of a parking space at Hannaford’s Supermarket in Bar Harbor when the Infiniti allegedly struck a 2017 Cadillac that was last operated by Stephen Cotreau, 60, of Southwest Harbor. There was no reported personal injury. The Infiniti suffered minor damage to the driver’s side front corner and the Cadillac suffered damage to the passenger’s side door.
Renee Colby, 53, of Bar Harbor, parked her 2007 Honda SUV in the parking lot of the Circle K in Bar Harbor and while it was unoccupied, it was struck by an unknown vehicle that caused a dent and scratches to the rear corner of the Honda.
Officer Lukas Keene took a report of a verbal altercation between two people in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
An officer located an unsecured door at a downtown Bar Harbor business and contacted the keyholder who came and secured the building.
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Seamus Burnes, 26, of Wilmington, North Carolina, was driving a 2018 Mitsubishi SUV on Route 102 in Mount Desert when a deer allegedly ran into the roadway and was struck by the Mitsubishi. There was no reported personal injury. The vehicle suffered significant front-end damage and had to be towed.
Officer Jerrod Hardy responded to an erratic operation complaint on Route 3 in Bar Harbor, located and stopped the vehicle, and found the operator to be not impaired but tired.
Officer Hardy spoke with someone in regard to a family member in Bar Harbor who has been having ongoing mental health issues.
Jeffrey Grey, 40, of Mount Desert, was driving a 2015 Ford truck south on Sound Drive in Mount Desert when Alexander Messmore, 31, of Southwest Harbor, who was driving northbound, allegedly crossed over the centerline striking the rear of Grey’s truck with his 2016 Chevy Traverse. Both drivers were checked by medical staff on scene and found to be OK, and both vehicles were towed due to the damage that they received.
Linda Saunders, 70, of Bar Harbor, was backing her 2012 Ford Focus out of a parking spot near Cross Street in Bar Harbor when she allegedly struck a 2019 Tesla, operated by Ed Johnston, 69, of Bar Harbor, who was sitting stationary in the parking lot. There was no reported personal injury. The Focus had minor damage to the rear and the Tesla had functional damage to the rear passenger’s side.
Officer Keene took a report from someone in Bar Harbor reporting threatening/harassing conduct on social media. No further information or disposition was given.
Friday, March 15, 2024
Officer Tim Bland conducted a well-being check on a member of the Good Morning Program in Bar Harbor and found them to be all set.
Someone reported motorists speeding and disregarding the crosswalk on Main Street in Northeast Harbor to Officer Dickens. Officers will monitor the area more frequently.
Officer Hardy served a protection from harassment order to a Bar Harbor resident.
Officer Elias Burne responded to a motor vehicle complaint in Bar Harbor and was able to contact the operator of the suspect vehicle and make them aware of the complaint.
Officer Stanwood received a motor vehicle complaint from the Hancock County RCC regarding a vehicle heading toward Bar Harbor but was unable to locate the vehicle. The vehicle was later located by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department in Tremont.
Officer Liam Harrington responded to a potential trespassing situation at a Bar Harbor hotel. No further information or disposition was given.
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Officer Stanwood assisted the Maine State Police with trying to locate a vehicle in Bar Harbor. No further information or disposition was given.
Officer Bland conducted a well-being check on a member of the Good Morning Program in Bar Harbor and found her to be all set.
Officer Hardy served a man a no trespass warning for a property in Bar Harbor.
Officer Torrey investigated an open door at the Northeast Harbor Library and discovered that someone had just failed to shut the door properly.
Officer Burne responded to a mental health crisis in Bar Harbor that resulted in one person being transported to the hospital.
Officer Torrey took a report of two dogs wandering around South Shore Road in Mount Desert and the dogs returned home on their own.
Officer Burne responded to a motor vehicle complaint in Bar Harbor but the vehicles left before his arrival.
An officer provided a Bar Harbor resident a ride home from a downtown business.
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Officer Stanwood spoke with someone regarding camping in public places in Bar Harbor.
Officer Torrey handled a residential burglar alarm in Mount Desert, checked the house, and made it secure.
Officer Torrey took a report of an unsecured door from the cleaning crew at a Mount Desert business, checked the building, and found everything to be all set.
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
CARIBOU—On Tuesday, March 12, 2024, following a months’ long investigation, a California man was arrested and charged with felony drug trafficking offenses.
MDEA’s Aroostook County Task Force recently opened an investigation into suspected drug trafficking occurring at a residence at 21 Fontaine Drive in Caribou. During the investigation, agents conducted controlled purchases of fentanyl from 40-year-old Jose Verdugo of Monrovia, California.
Verdugo was taken into custody Tuesday during the execution of a search warrant at the Fontaine Drive home. Over a pound of methamphetamine, approximately 446 Oxycodone 30mg pills, and approximately 30 grams of fentanyl were recovered during the search of the residence. The estimated street value of the drugs seized is over $60,000 dollars.
Verdugo was taken to the Aroostook County Jail and charged with three counts of class A aggravated trafficking of scheduled W drugs and one count of class B unlawful trafficking scheduled W drugs. Bail was set at $30,000 in cash.
Assisting in the arrests and search warrant were the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office and Caribou Police Department.
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.
Fire Marshal’s Office Investigates Fire that Critically Injured a Bangor Man
On Thursday, March 14, 2024, at approximately 12:10 p.m., the Bangor Fire Department responded to a residential fire at 1343 Ohio Street in Bangor. One of the occupants, a 75-year-old male, was rescued from the home by the Bangor Fire Department and transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center with severe burn injuries. He was later transported via Life Flight to Maine Medical Center in Portland. A second male, who also lived at the home, was not injured. The fire remains under investigation. The Fire Marshal’s Office is being assisted in the investigation by the Bangor Police Department.
Limerick Couple Arrested, Troopers Injured Following Domestic Assault Incident
On Saturday, March 16, 2024, at approximately 10:53 p.m., troopers from the Southern Field Troop responded to Long Street in Limerick for a domestic assault in progress. A neighbor called to report that 41-year-old Justin Savage, of Limerick, had assaulted his girlfriend 26-year-old Shawna Morse in front of their home.
Troopers arrived and Savage was detained. During the investigation Savage became combative and a struggle ensued. Savage landed on a trooper, Sgt. Adam Schmidt, breaking his ankle. In an effort to escape custody Savage also bit Trooper Jamie Fenderson causing two lacerations on his hand. During that altercation, Morse attempted to assist Savage.
Sgt. Schmidt was transported to the hospital where he was treated and released. Sgt. Schmidt will require surgery.
Savage was arrested and transported to the York County Jail. He was charged with domestic violence assault, assault on a police officer, refusing to submit to arrest, and disorderly conduct.
Morse was arrested and transported to the York County Jail. She is charged with obstructing government administration and refusal to submit to arrest.
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.
