Courts and Crime

LEWISTON, Maine — Lewiston police have charged a man with criminal cruelty to animals for allegedly trying to neuter a cat with a rubber band.

Authorities say 25-year-old Derek Edgerton, who recently moved from Lewiston to Dixfield, was charged Monday.

Animal Control Officer Wendell Strout tells the Sun Journal that Edgerton was a friend of the cat's owner and "thought he was helping him out" by trying to neuter the pet.

FARMINGTON, Maine — The person who broke into an off-the-grid cabin in remote western Maine didn't get away with money, jewelry or other valuables. Police say the thief took a pair of bear heads.

Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols says a Waterboro family reported last week that someone had broken into their cabin in secluded Alder Stream Township sometime over the summer.

Nichols tells the Morning Sentinel the family hadn't been to the cabin since April, so the exact time of the break-in is not known.

PORTLAND, Maine — A legendary basketball coach removed from the Maine Sports Hall of Fame and the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame because of sex abuse allegations says the accusations are "unfounded lies."

Seventy-two-year-old Ordman Alley issued the statement Monday through a Bangor law firm.

BANGOR, Maine (AP) _ Bangor, Maine, police say they have arrested a 19-year-old man who stabbed another man outside a bar before tripping and cutting himself on his own knife.

Police say they charged Devin Peirce with one count of aggravated assault for allegedly stabbing a 38-year-old man during a confrontation outside a night club. Police say they stabbing victim chased Peirce, who fell and cut a finger on the knife while fleeing. The victim was treated and released for minor injuries.

WINSLOW, Maine — Police say a weekend shooting in Winslow in which a woman shot her husband in the elbow with a handgun appears to be an accident.

Chief Shawn O'Leary says officers responded to a 911 call from the woman at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday.

The caller said she accidentally shot her husband.

Officers arrived to find the woman distraught and her husband sitting in a chair with a single gunshot wound to his elbow.

The Morning Sentinel reports that the man was brought to the hospital but has since been released.

LEWISTON, Maine — Police say seven people have been arrested in a drug raid in Lewiston, Maine.

Authorities say they seized evidence of heroin and crack cocaine dealing from an apartment house that they saw has been the scene of three heroin overdoses this summer.

The Sun Journal reports that the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and local police have been watching the building for several months.

GARDINER, Maine — A man suspected of robbing a Gardiner pharmacy of prescription medications has been captured after an hours-long manhunt in the woods.

Jesse Mansir, of Gardiner, was captured at about 7 p.m. Thursday with the help of dog teams about nine hours after someone robbed the Rite-Aid pharmacy in town.

Police Chief James Toman says the pharmacy was held up at 10:35 a.m. by a man who passed an employee a note demanding prescription drugs and saying he had a gun. No weapon was shown.

AUBURN, Maine — A Lewiston man charged with falsifying evidence into the investigation of a slaying has been sentenced to time served.

The Sun Journal reports that Sebastian Moody pleaded guilty in November to a charge of falsifying physical evidence and on Thursday was sentenced to the 107 days he's already served in jail. A felony charge of hindering apprehension or prosecution was dropped.

Prosecutors say the 23-year-old Moody lied about what he know about the April 2013 stabbing and strangulation death of Romeo Parent.

ALFRED, Maine — An Old Orchard Beach man charged with beating and stabbing his grandmother to death in the home they shared, then setting it on fire, has been sent by a judge to a state psychiatric hospital for a 60-day evaluation.

The York County Superior Court judge issued the order to send 25-year-old Derek Poulin to Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta on Thursday after a closed-door discussion with prosecutors and defense lawyers.

BROWNVILLE, Maine — A Vermont man convicted of wire fraud for submitting false invoices to a Maine town has reached the end of his allotted time to file objections to a pre-sentencing reporting.

Craig Sanborn has until Friday to file any objections. The final report will be submitted to a judge who will impose Sanborn's sentence. A judge convicted Sanborn in May and he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Federal prosecutors say he submitted $300,000 worth of false invoices to Brownville for materials and services never bought.

WINTRHOP, Maine (AP) _ A Scarborough man has been charged with manslaughter in a November car crash in that killed a Winthrop couple.

The Kennebec Journal reports that 44-year-old Jeffrey Ray was indicted on double manslaughter charges on Wednesday.

Police say that Patricia and Napoleon Richard St. Laurent's van was stopped while waiting to make a left turn when Ray's truck hit it from behind. Both vehicles were pushed into the right-side guard rail and down the road.

WINDHAM, Maine (AP) _ Maine's attorney general says a police officer was acting in defense of himself and others when he fatally shot a 66-year-old man in Windham.

Janet Mills says that Cumberland County Deputy Sherriff Nicholas Mangino was legally justified in using deadly force against Stephen McKenney in April.

Investigators say that Mangino and other officers reported to McKenney's home after his wife had called police to say her husband was suicidal.

LANCASTER, N.H. (AP) _ A judge has rejected a request to set aside a conviction in the 2010 explosion that killed two workers at a New Hampshire gunpowder plant.

Craig Sanborn's attorney, Mark Sisti, questioned the testimony of a witness who may have embellished his own military record.

The Caledonian Record reports  Judge Peter Bornstein ruled Aug. 7 the defense is at fault for failing to obtain the military service record before trial. He said the evidence on which the motion is based is "not material'' to the case.

MANCHESTER, Maine — Authorities have identified the suspect in a Manchester pharmacy robbery earlier this month.

Police say 31-year-old Thomas Bourque of Belgrade robbed the Rite-Aid in town on Aug. 3.

Chief Deputy Ryan Reardon of the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office tells the Morning Sentinel that Bourque has a lengthy criminal record and is a well-known player in the area's illicit drug scene.

BANGOR, Maine — A 66-year-old Maine man police say claimed to have a grenade and a gun when he robbed a Hallowell bank in June has pleaded not guilty.

John Cecil Slater entered his plea Wednesday in U.S. District Court and remains in custody.

Prosecutors say Slater, wearing a straw hat and sports coat, robbed a Bank of Maine branch on June 23, making off with $15,000.