October 2019

There is still time to order a #PinkPatch for our fundraiser. Proceeds will benefit the Maine Cancer Foundation. Send us your photos of your #PinkPatchProject2019 at landmarks around Maine and the world!

You can order them through the Maine State Trooper Foundation for $10.

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A. Turcotte - MSTF

198 Maine Ave.

Bangor, ME 04401

 

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NEWS RELEASE FROM THE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
From Spokesman Steve McCausland – 626-3811

State Police say they are now investigating the death of a Richmond man as a homicide.  Detectives have been investigating the death of 48 year old Andrew Sherman since his body was found inside his home on Kimball Street October 11.  Sherman lived alone at the home and his body was found by a friend, who was concerned he had not heard from Sherman in days. 

Detectives continue to ask the public for help from anyone who had seen, talked or heard from Sherman since September 25.  An autopsy has been completed but no further information is being released at this time on the cause of death. 

Detectives have interviewed family, friends and neighbors of Sherman and the State Police Crime Laboratory has been analyzing evidence taken from Sherman’s home. Anyone with information is asked to call State Police in Augusta at – 624-7076, extension 9. 
 

SCARBOROUGH, Maine - A traffic stop ended up with several men being charged with aggravated drug trafficking.

On Oct. 22, 2019 Maine State Police Troopers from Troop G stopped a vehicle on the Maine Turnpike for a traffic infraction. As a result of the investigation, three men were arrested: Benjamin Peaslee, 41, of Manchester, Maine; Todd Moses (AKA “T”), 50, of Hyde Park, Massachusetts; Gary Richardson, 42, (AKA “BAMA”) of Eutaw, Alabama; and a Massachusetts resident who cannot be identified at this time.

Troopers seized 842 diverted Gabapentin Tablets, 13 gram of a suspected heroin/fentanyl mixture, and 5 grams of cocaine base.

All occupants were booked at the Cumberland County Jail for aggravated trafficking. Bail was set at 50k.

UPDATE: State and Waterville Police say at approximately 4:00 p.m. on Oct. 23, investigators from the two departments discovered a body in the basement of 32 Gold Street. The body was removed a short time ago and transported to the Medical Examiners (ME) Office in Augusta. The ME’s Office will begin work on the identification and cause of death on Thursday, Oct. 24. The two agencies will continue the investigation throughout the day.

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Waterville Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a young Waterville mother who was last seen Tuesday morning.   29 year old Melissa Sousa of 32 Gold Street was last seen about 8:30 AM Tuesday putting her two children on a school bus by her house.  Friends reported her missing last night and Waterville Police asked State Police to assist them in the investigation later in the evening. 

Melissa is five feet tall, weighs 125 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.  She lives at the duplex home with 28 year old Nicholas Lovejoy and they are the parents of eight year old twin girls.  A team of State Police detectives and evidence technicians are in Waterville and have joined  Waterville Police in the investigation.   Anyone who has seen Sousa or has information on her whereabouts is asked to call Waterville Police at 207-680-4700 extension 4513.

Lovejoy was arrested by Waterville Police around midnight after his SUV was stopped on Summer St.  Waterville Police charged him with having a loaded rifle in the car and endangering the welfare of a child. Police said he had left his children alone at the home.   Lovejoy was interviewed at the Waterville Police Department this morning and has cooperated with investigators .  He was later taken to the Kennebec County Jail, where he is being held in lieu of $2,000 bail.

Incident Type:   ASSIST OTHER AGENCY

Date:                                     10/18/2019

Town:                                   Hebron                                                                

Trooper:                              Tr. Pyburn

Brief Synopsis:  Trooper Pyburn responded to Ramsdell Road in Hebron, to assist the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office with a report of a domestic. Upon arriving on scene, it was determined Ryan Fogg of Hebron, had thrown his ex-girlfriend, Lesa Seavey, from a camper parked in the front yard, where Seavey had been living. The argument originated over possession of a jar of marijuana. Fogg was arrested for DV assault and transported to the Oxford County Jail.

 

Incident Type:     OUI

Date:                                     10/06/2019

Town:                                   Bowdoinham

Trooper:                              Tr. Flanagan & Tr. Leonard

Brief Synopsis:  Tr. Flanagan stopped a vehicle on I-295 in Bowdoinham after receiving a traffic complaint on it in Freeport.  Upon further investigation, Tr. Flanagan discovered that the female operator and male passenger were both under the influence of alcohol.  In addition, their three children were in the vehicle.  Tr. Flanagan arrested the female operator and brought her to Topsham PD for a breath test, where she refused.  The female operator, a teacher, and mother of three, was charged with OUI (Class D), Endangering the welfare of a child (Class D) and Driving to Endanger (Class E).

 

Incident Type:    OUI & OAS

Date:                                     10/17/2019

Town:                                   Brunswick

Trooper:                              Tr. Flanagan

Brief Synopsis:  Tr. Flanagan stopped a vehicle off Exit 28 on I-295 in Brunswick for speed.  Upon further investigation, he discovered that male subject was heavily intoxicated, uncooperative and was operating with a suspended license.  Multiple Brunswick Officers responded to assist.  The subject was arrested and brought to Brunswick PD.  The subject was charged with OUI – 2 Priors (Class C), Driving to Endanger (Class E) and OAS (Class E).  The subject made bail later that evening. 

 

Incident Type:   OUI

Date:                                     10/19/2019

Town:                                   Gorham

Trooper:                              Sgt. Farley

Brief Synopsis: Sgt. Farley stopped a vehicle for erratic operation. After a brief investigation the female operator was arrested for OUI.

 

Incident Type:   Operating without a license

Date:                                     10/19/2019

Town:                                   Gorham

Trooper:                              Sgt. Farley

Brief Synopsis: Sgt. Farley checked on a suspicious vehicle in Gorham. After a brief investigation it was determine the male operator did not have a license. The operator was summonsed accordingly. The vehicle was on its way to an underage party that Gorham PD had just broken up.

 

Incident Type:   OAS

Date:                                     10/13/2019

Town:                                   Harrison                                              

Trooper:                             Tr. Pyburn

Brief Synopsis:  Trooper Pyburn summonsed Brandon Wight of Waterford, for OAS. The stop was conducted on Route 117 in Harrison, for an inspection violation.

 

Incident Type:   OAS, Warrant

Date:                                     10/19/2019

Town:                                   Topsham                            

Trooper:                               Tr. James

Brief Synopsis:  Tr. James stopped Kendall Wallace (24) of Brunswick on Route 196 in Topsham for failure to stop for a red light. Upon contacting Wallace, it was determined his license was suspended and he also had a warrant for his arrest for unpaid fine. Wallace was charged accordingly and transported to Two Bridges Jail in Wiscasset without incident.

State Police say a Clinton man was injured this morning when his pickup went off the Interstate in Fairfield, slammed into guard rails and caught fire, just after 8 AM.  24 year old Devin Douglass suffered a broken leg and was pulled out of the truck by a passerby. Motorists reported Douglass was driving erratically in the northbound lanes just before the crash. The 2002 Ford pickup took out several guardrail posts before coming to rest in the median.  The truck later burst into flames forcing troopers to shut down both north and southbound lanes for a time as firefighters extinguished the blaze.  Douglass was taken to a Waterville hospital and troopers continue to investigate the crash and what led up to it.

The State Medical Examiner's Office says the body found in the basement of a Waterville apartment house Wednesday is  29 year old Melissa Sousa.   In addition, her longtime boyfriend, 28 year old Nicholas Lovejoy is now charged with murder.  The decision to charge Lovejoy was made by the Maine Attorney General's Office this afternoon, as State and Waterville Police continued the investigation into the discovery of Sousa's body.

 Lovejoy  remains at the Kennebec County Jail.  He was arrested by Waterville Police late Tuesday night for having a loaded rifle in his vehicle.  He was informed of the murder charge at the jail a short time ago and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.

from Steve McCausland, Spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. If you need additional info, call: 441-6216. 
 

Incident Type:         false attachment of plates

Date:                          10/21/2019

Town:                        houlton

Trooper:                   Cpl. Quint

Brief Synopsis:       Cpl. Quint was conducting traffic enforcement and was driving through Houlton.  He observed a vehicle not displaying a front registration plate and the vehicle had a defective/leaking exhaust.  The vehicle was stopped on the Lowery Road and it was found the plate were falsely attached to the vehicle.  The male driver, who was a minor, was also found in possession of a useable amount of marijuana.  He was issued a criminal summons for the illegal attachment of plates and a civil summons for being a minor in possession of a useable amount of marijuana.

Incident Type:         alice training

Date:                          10/22/2019

Town:                        fort kent

Trooper:                   sgt. haines, sgt. clark, tr. levesque

Brief Synopsis:       Sgt. Haines, Sgt. Clark, Tr. Levesque, as well as other departments, conducted ALICE training at the Fort Kent Elementary School.  ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate and is designed to increase the odds of survival during a violent intruder incident.  The training was well-received by staff and students!  Sgt. Haines, Sgt. Clark, and Tr. Levesque have traveled to schools all over Aroostook County providing this training.

 

Incident Type:         oas

Date:                          10/22/2019

Town:                        westfield

Trooper:                   Sgt. Clark

Brief Synopsis:       Sgt. Clark was conducting traffic enforcement on US Highway 1, Westfield.  He observed a vehicle driving 78 mph in a posted 55 mph zone and stopped the vehicle.  During the stop, he discovered the male driver had a suspended Maine driver’s license and had current bail conditions.  Sgt. Clark issued the man a summons for speeding, and a criminal summons for Operating After Suspension and for violating his conditions of release.  The man arranged for a licensed driver to get him and the vehicle.

Incident Type:         oui-alcohol

Date:                          10/22/2019

Town:                        easton

Trooper:                   Tr. Martin

Brief Synopsis:       Tr. Martin was conducting traffic enforcement in Easton.  He observed a vehicle driving 66 mph in a posted 50 mph zone and stopped the vehicle.  During the stop, his investigation determined the male driver was operating under the influence of liquor.  The man was arrested and taken to Presque Isle PD for a breath test.  The man later posted bail and was released.

Incident Type:         assist u.s. marshall service

Date:                          10/24/2019

Town:                        limestone

Trooper:                   Tr. Martin

Brief Synopsis:       Tr. Martin assisted the US Marshall Service with the arrest of a man wanted on Federal warrants living in Limestone.  The man was arrested without incident and transported to the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton.

 

Incident Type:         warrant arrest/vcr/oas

Date:                          10/25/2019

Town:                        littleton

Trooper:                   Tr. Bell

Brief Synopsis:       Tr Bell conducted a traffic stop in Littleton and as a result he arrested the female operator for OAS, violating conditions of release and on an outstanding warrant.  Tr Bell transported her to ACJ.

 

Incident Type:         trespass

Date:                          10/21/2019

Town:                        Woodland

Trooper:                   Tr. Curtin

Brief Synopsis:         Tr. Curtin responded to a Woodland residence when a local home owner reported that a woman would not leave his property after he had asked to her to leave several times.  Once Tr. Curtin arrived, the home owner stated he had given the woman a ride to another location.  The pair had known each other and apparently the issue had been an ongoing problem with the female showing up and not leaving the property.  The woman was warned for trespassing.

Incident Type:         Wel-Being Check

Date:                          10/21/2019

Town:                        Monticello

Trooper:                   Tr. Casavant

Brief Synopsis:       Tr. Casavant was asked to check on a local woman when her family stated that they were concerned for her safety after not hearing from her for some time.  The woman was located and there were no issues regarding her safety.  She stated that she would reach out to her family and remind them she was fine.

# of School Visits conducted – 1

# of OUI Alcohol Arrests – 4

# of OUI Drug Arrests –  0

# of DV Arrests –  3

10-20-19

In the early morning hours, Trooper Gavin Endre located a suspicious vehicle parked on the side of Route 182 in Franklin. After an investigation, the operator Thomas Mellor (48) of Franklin was arrested for Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol and transported to the Hancock County Jail.

10-22-19

Trooper Owen Reed arrested Zachary Davidson (20) of Harpswell, for Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol after a traffic stop in Penobscot.

Trooper Andy Foss responded to a road rage complaint in Topsfield where it was reported that a pick-up truck had reversed back into the victim’s vehicle while on Route 1 and later struck the victim’s vehicle from behind with his truck.  The suspect was located and identified as Ivan White (46) of Princeton.  White was summonsed for Driving to Endanger and arrested for a Probation Violation.  Sergeant Jeff Ingemi, Corporal Micah Perkins and Trooper Keith York assisted.

10-23-19

Trooper Owen Reed responded to a theft complaint in Sedgwick where furniture was reported stolen from a seasonal residence.  Investigation continues.

10-23-19

Trooper Kim Sawyer summonsed Kevin Stengel (49) of Danforth for Operating After Suspension after receiving a complaint that his vehicle was off the road in Danforth and no one was with it. Trooper Kim Sawyer found and spoke with Kevin and he admitted to driving the vehicle.

10-25-19

Corporal Micah Perkins summonsed Jeremy Albee (42) of Jonesport, for Operating After Suspension after a traffic stop in East Machias.

Trooper Travis Chapman responded to Maine Maritime Academy where Maine Maritime Safety and Security reported a suspicious vehicle.  They made contact with the operator of the vehicle and believed he was impaired. Investigation revealed that Mitchel Mcpartlin (37) of Liberty was Operating Under the Influence. Mitchell was arrested and transported to the Hancock County Jail.

10-26-19

Corporal Chris Smith summonsed Gregory Schaneville (36) of Alpine, California for Operating Under the Influence as the result of a crash which occurred on 10-20-2019 on the Washington Junction Road in Hancock. 

10-27-19

Trooper Caleb McGary summonsed Samuel Sharpe (18) of Brunswick, for Criminal Mischief, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and Failure to Report an Accident by Quickest Means after an investigation into an abandoned vehicle in Castine on October 24^th.

State Police say the exits in Kittery at Mile 2  of the Maine Turnpike have been closed because of a tanker truck crash.   The truck crashed on the northbound off ramp a short time ago and rescue personnel are working to free the truck’s driver from the wreckage.  The truck is carrying propane and there have been no reports of leakage of the fuel.