Courts and Crime

Gun Rights And Gun Control Advocates Debate 'Red Flag' Bill

By • Apr 4, 2018
Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

Amid a national debate over gun violence, Maine lawmakers are being asked to grapple with a difficult question: If someone is deemed by a judge to be a danger to themselves and to others, should police be able to temporarily confiscate their guns?

Lawyers Spar Over Case Accusing LePage Of Blackmail

By • Apr 3, 2018

A lawyer for Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage has urged a federal appeals court to toss a Democrat's lawsuit accusing him of blackmail.

Attorney Patrick Strawbridge told the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday that the governor is immune from the legal challenge brought by Former House Speaker Eves.

Eves says the governor overstepped his authority when he threatened to withhold state funding to force a charter school operator to rescind a job offer to Eves.

Maine Developer Accused Of $50M Fraud, Using Shell Companies To Scam Investors

By Jake Bleiberg - Bangor Daily News • Apr 3, 2018
Bangor Daily News/file

PORTLAND, Maine — Fresh out of a federal prison, developer Michael Liberty is facing new legal troubles and the allegation that he and several accomplices deceived investors and took $50 million of their money to support lavish lifestyles.

Judge Grants Protection From Abuse Order Against Maine District Attorney Candidate

By • Apr 2, 2018

A district court judge has granted a protection from abuse order against Seth Carey, a Rumford attorney who is running as a Republican candidate for district attorney in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties.

The Lewiston Sun Journal reports that the victim believed she was in “immediate and present danger” from Carey, who she said sexually assaulted her in the home they shared.

Reached by telephone Monday, Carey said the allegations are “100 percent false.” He said the woman is a friend who was trying to get out of an abusive relationship and had nowhere else to go.

Police Charge Bangor Man In Connection With Deaths

By A.J. Higgins • Mar 30, 2018
A.J. Higgins / Maine Public

Bangor police have made an arrest in connection with Wednesday night’s double homicide near the city’s waterfront.

Sgt. Wade Betters said 25-year-old John De St. Croix of Bangor has been charged in the deaths of Michael Bridges and Desiree York, described by police as members of the area’s transient community.

He said police believe De St. Croix is believed to have lived on Ohio Street in Bangor, but that he was friendly with members of the city’s homeless population.

Judge Seals School Records Of Woman Accused Of Beating 10-Year-Old Daughter To Death

By • Mar 28, 2018
Patty Wight / Maine Public

A Waldo County District Court judge has ordered that confidential school records of the woman charged in the beating death of her daughter be sealed. Sharon Carrillo’s attorneys accused the state of misconduct in obtaining the records.

In court on Tuesday, defense attorney Laura Shaw argued that state prosecutors improperly issued a Maine subpoena across state borders when they sought records from a New York school that Carrillo attended more than a decade ago.

Police Caution Shopkeepers after Robber Targets Six Businesses in One Week

By • Mar 27, 2018

Portland Police are working with departments in Westbrook and Falmouth to address a series of robberies in the area.

Six businesses have been targeted in less than a week, which police say is unusual.

“We frequently get robberies but we very seldom see a rash of them in such close proximity in this short amount of time,” says Portland Police Lieutenant Robert Martin.

The robber appears to be a man who wears a dark face mask. He uses a gun to demand cash.

Carillo's Attorneys Accuse State Prosecutors of Misconduct

By • Mar 26, 2018
Patty Wight / Maine Public

Attorneys for the woman charged in the death of her ten-year-old daughter, Marissa Kennedy, have asked a judge to remove state prosecutors from the case. In a motion filed in Waldo County District Court Monday, defense attorneys accuse prosecutors of misconduct.

Defense attorneys allege the Maine Attorney General's office improperly issued a subpoena to obtain confidential information about their client, Sharon Carillo, who's accused of the beating her daughter to death.

Community Shows Support for Child Protection Program

By • Mar 23, 2018

This month the LePage administration announced plans to end funding for a child abuse prevention program that works directly with at-risk families across the state. Dozens of supporters of that program showed up at a public hearing Friday on legislation that would restore funding.

For over three hours social service providers from across Maine testified that the community based program has been an effective addition to state efforts to protect children. Sen. Cathy Breen, a democrat from Falmouth, says the program is a good deal, given its price tag of $2 point 2 million per year.

Oversight Committee Approves Subpoenas in Child Abuse Investigations

By • Mar 23, 2018

The legislature’s Government Oversight Committee has unanimously approved subpoenas to Bangor and Searsport schools and to the Maine Department of Education as the panel investigates the handling of the deaths of 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy in Stockton Springs and another girl, 4-year-old Kendall Chick, who died in December in Wiscasset.

Restaurateurs Accused Of Writing Bad Checks, Leaving State

By • Mar 22, 2018

Portland, Maine, officials say a pair of high-profile restaurateurs who owe thousands for civil judgments and now face criminal charges regarding bad checks have left the state.

Thomas and Shannon Bard are accused of writing more than $19,000 in bad checks to Freeport-based Bow Street Distributing. The Portland Press Herald reports the couple was indicted by a Cumberland County grand jury this month, and has since relocated to Massachusetts.

Court: Judge And Prosecutor Talks Improper; Man Gets Chance At New Trial

By • Mar 16, 2018
Tom Porter / Maine Public/file

Maine's highest court has thrown out a Sydney man's guilty plea and 50-year-sentence for child sexual assault because of improper communications between a judge and a prosecutor. That means the defendant, who's been incarcerated for several years, gets a shot at a new trial.

Portland Police To Hold Meetings With Public About Body Cameras

By • Mar 16, 2018

PORTLAND, Maine - Portland police are holding a pair of meetings with the public to talk about a pilot project involving the use of body cameras.
 
The meetings are scheduled for March 21 at Deering High School and March 22 at the Portland Public Library. The police department says it expects the pilot program to begin in the spring, followed by selection of a vendor in the summer and full implementation by the fall.
 

ACLU Sues Juvenile Jail For Alleged Use of Excessive Force on 11-Year-Old

By • Mar 15, 2018
BA BARTLET / PANORAMIO.COM

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maine has filed suit against the Long Creek Youth Development Center, the Department of Corrections, and medical and dental providers on behalf of an 11-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten by corrections officers. The ACLU’s complaint also says the boy was denied adequate medical treatment. The case is prompting a call for possible legislative or judicial oversight of Long Creek.

Oversight Committee Authorizes Investigation into Handling of Child Abuse Cases

By • Mar 9, 2018
Steve Mistler / Maine Public

The investigative arm of the Legislature will review a child protection system that failed to prevent the deaths of two young girls despite previous reports of abuse. 

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