Articles by Chris Williams
Wilton woman sentenced in plot to burn down Livermore Falls store
AUBURN, Maine — A Wilton woman who conspired with two other people to burn down a Livermore Falls convenience store for the insurance money will be allowed to withdraw an earlier felony plea two years from now and, instead, plead guilty to a misdemeanor. Nicole Hennessy, 31, appeared Wednesday in ...
Judge dismisses lawsuit against Androscoggin County by Old Town man who struck pregnant driver’s car in high-speed chase
AUBURN, Maine — A judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Old Town man who fled police in 2010 and crashed his car into a sport utility vehicle driven by a pregnant woman. Glen Witham, 43, pleaded guilty in 2011 to three felonies stemming from the crash, including aggravated assault, ...
Gun enthusiasts turn out to Lewiston show despite blizzard
LEWISTON, Maine — Neither snow nor 30 mph winds can keep Dan Beggs from a gun show, though it did take him a while to dig out of his driveway on Saturday afternoon. The Auburn collector scoured the tables at the Elks Club on Lisbon Road where JT Reid’s 2nd ...
Lewiston man not denied job at Auburn brick company because he was too old, commission finds
LEWISTON, Maine — A Lewiston man complained to a state agency that he was turned down for a job at an Auburn brick company because he was too old. An agency investigator found no discrimination, but faulted the company for asking his age. Ray E. Brown, 60, applied for a ...
Two women plead guilty in Livermore Falls store fire
AUBURN, Maine — Two women involved in an attempt to burn down a Livermore Falls convenience store for the insurance money pleaded guilty Monday to charges from that incident. Erica Poland-Rolfe, 30, of Livermore Falls pleaded guilty to a charge of felony aggravated criminal mischief. She was sentenced in a ...
Lisbon man sues Wal-Mart, alleges racial discrimination, retaliation
AUBURN, Maine — A Lisbon man of Ethiopian descent who worked at Walmart in Lewiston for four years is suing his former employer, claiming the company discriminated against him because of his race and in retaliation for his complaint about discrimination and a workplace injury. Wal-Mart denied a complaint made ...
Lewiston man accused of stabbing drug informant
LEWISTON, Maine — A Horton Street man stabbed and punched a woman with whom he had an intimate relationship, because he found out she was a drug informant, police said. Mark W. Brown, 36, appeared dressed in an orange jail suit, his legs shackled and his hands cuffed at 8th ...
Man accused of fatally shooting hunter pleads not guilty to manslaughter
AUBURN, Maine — A Wales man who shot and killed a hunter in that town in November denied charges of manslaughter and shooting too close to a home. In court Friday morning, Christopher Austin, 41, answered “not guilty” to an Androscoggin County grand jury indictment handed up Thursday. Austin, who ...
Former high-profile attorney F. Lee Bailey denied Maine Bar admittance
F. Lee Bailey, a longtime attorney who has represented many high-profile clients, including O.J. Simpson and Patty Hearst, was denied a bid to practice law in Maine. Bailey, 79, passed the Maine Bar Examination in February. He had been licensed in Massachusetts and later in Florida. But he was disbarred ...
Sabattus man who killed woman during custody dispute denied new murder trial
AUBURN — A judge denied a bid for a new trial by a Sabattus man sentenced to 55 years in prison for killing his ex-girlfriend and the mother of their 2-year-old daughter seven years ago. Daniel Roberts, 43, petitioned Androscoggin County Superior Court Justice Joyce Wheeler for a new trial ...
Turner man pleads guilty to illegal hunting, drug trafficking
AUBURN, Maine — Everett T. Leonard of Turner pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to a dozen charges, including many misdemeanor hunting violations and a felony drug charge. Leonard, 33, along with his father, Everett H. Leonard, also of Turner, was indicted in May 2011 on a total of 35 charges of ...
Judge sets bail at $50,000 for man accused in Lewiston Tim Horton’s robbery
LEWISTON, Maine — A judge set bail Monday at $50,000 cash for a local man accused of robbing Tim Hortons on Sabattus Street last week. Nathan Parker, 22, of Peter Boulevard appeared briefly in 8th District Court in a jail suit and shackles. He was charged with robbery, a felony. ...
US Supreme Court can’t undo Maine’s new same-sex marriage law
Maine’s top attorney-to-be said Friday the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear appeals on same-sex-marriage laws can’t undo the state’s newly adopted allowance of gay marriage, but could possibly expand federal benefits to same-sex couples who marry in Maine. Mainers last month voted to allow same-sex couples to marry; that ...
POLL QUESTION
Do plaintiffs in protection from abuse cases have an unfair advantage over defendants?
Joshua Valley spent 49 days in jail last summer for violating an order protecting his estranged wife from abuse. Valley had sent a text message to his daughter’s iPod. His estranged wife, who had taken the daughter’s iPod, intercepted the message and called police. Valley, who knew his wife had ...
For Lewiston murder victim’s family, conviction just one hurdle
AUBURN, Maine — The family of Christiana Fesmire, 22, of Lewiston said a great weight was lifted Friday when Buddy Robinson was convicted of her murder. But the jury’s quick verdict doesn’t mark the end of their long journey of grief. “We would like now, of course, to be able ...
Soldier says Lewiston defendant in murder trial admitted ‘badly’ hurting someone
AUBURN, Maine — A woman who served in the military with Buddy Robinson last year gave tearful testimony Thursday during his murder trial, saying he sent her incriminating text messages. Rebecca Cornell du Houx of Augusta, who works as a mental health case worker, testified in Androscoggin County Superior Court ...
Fellow inmate says Lewiston man confessed killing
AUBURN, Maine — A former jail mate testified Wednesday that Buddy Robinson told him he grabbed a prostitute by the throat and killed her, then dumped her body in the woods. Prosecutors fit together the last pieces of their case against Robinson, 31, of Lewiston, who is charged with murder ...
Witness says murder suspect talked of body in trunk
AUBURN — A witness testified Friday at a murder trial that he overheard the defendant suggest the body of the victim had been in the trunk of the car all day and he needed to dispose of it. Friday was the fourth day of the trial of Buddy Robinson, 31, ...
Witness says brother confessed to drowning, disposing of victim
AUBURN, Maine — Brandi Robinson told the jury at her brother’s murder trial Thursday that he confided in her that he had killed Christiana Fesmire and had “taken care of the situation.” Robinson said her twin, Buddy Robinson, 31, of Lewiston, told her that the body of Fesmire, 22, was ...
Sister of accused murderer testifies she recruited victim to be an escort
AUBURN — The sister of Buddy Robinson explained to the jury at his murder trial Wednesday how she had recruited the victim to work as an escort for her business. Brandi Robinson testified in Androscoggin County Superior Court that her brother had moved into her upstairs apartment at 36 Highland ...
Orono man charged with murder in death of Glenburn teen
Police find remains believed to be Nichole Cable, 15, in Old Town woods
Family remembers Nichole “CoCo” Cable, warns of social media dangers
Old Town, Orono residents react to girl’s homicide with shock and grief
Glenburn woman gets 18 months for embezzling $100,000 from beagle rescue group
Nichole Cable: In our minds, hearts
Obama’s boyfriend line
How to humble a wing nut
UMaine narrows candidate list, hopes to name men’s hockey coach next week
Former Dexter, Nokomis coach Pratt takes Mount View football post
Eastport teen notches first ‘Bandolero’ racing victory
Houlton makes plans for new hockey boards at Millar Civic Center
Unity Raceway heading in new direction when track opens for season Sunday
Fun, informative or just plain strange: 8 museums in Maine worth a road trip
Microsoft unveils new Xbox One game console
Bangor veteran of World War II exemplifies the way life should be
So what the heck is a “Show Choir”?