Stories about Maine Department of Public Safety
Maine State Police lieutenant not disciplined after gun went off inside
AUGUSTA, Maine — An investigation by a division of the Maine State Police was unable to determine why a lieutenant’s firearm accidentally discharged during a computer training session. Lt. Shawn Currie, commander of the state police commercial vehicle enforcement division, was not disciplined after the Feb. 27 incident. Currie was ...
Two men arrested in latest Lewiston fires
LEWISTON, Maine — Two Lewiston men were charged with arson Friday night in connection with the latest Lewiston fires that destroyed two vacant apartment houses on Bartlett Street early Monday morning. Arrested by the state fire marshal’s office were Brian Morin, 29, and Bryan Wood, 23, Maine Department of Public ...
Maine state trooper’s handgun discharges during staff meeting Wednesday
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine State Police are investigating the accidental firing of a lieutenant’s handgun during a staff meeting Wednesday morning. “Lt. Shaun Currie, who heads up our commercial vehicle enforcement division, was at a computer training class at our former headquarters on Hospital Street in Augusta with two other ...
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‘So many things were happening’ for woman who died in Bath duplex explosion
BATH, Maine — Neighbors say the 64-year-old Bath woman who died in an explosion early Tuesday morning was “very nice” but didn’t get many visitors at the small brick duplex where she lived. Dale Ann Fussell, 64, was identified by the state medical examiner’s office as the victim of Tuesday’s ...
Ellsworth hospital recognized for response to quadruple shooting
ELLSWORTH, Maine — As one of the state’s rural hospitals, Maine Coast Memorial in Ellsworth doesn’t typically see many patients with gunshot wounds come through the emergency room doors. In fact, a year can pass without hospital staff seeing any. So when four men with gunshot wounds came into the ...
Fatalities on Maine roads up 53 percent compared with this time last year
AUGUSTA, Maine — Deadly weekend crashes claimed the lives of six residents and put the number of deaths on Maine roads at more than 50 percent above last year at this time, officials say. “The six highway deaths bring the state’s total for the year to 46 compared to 30 ...
Police identify Old Orchard Beach man whose death considered ‘highly suspicious’
The Associated Press on April 21, 2012, at 2:28 p.m.
OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine — State and local police are investigating a death in Old Orchard Beach. Late Saturday night, Stephen McCausland of the Maine Department of Public Safety identified the man as Roger White, 49, of Old Orchard Beach. White’s body was found behind an apartment building at 29 ...
Waiting list for concealed weapons permits grows in Maine
By Christopher Williams, Sun Journal on March 17, 2012, at 6:18 a.m.
When John Moore moved back to Maine from Massachusetts, he thought he wouldn’t have to wait long to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun. After all, Maine law says applicants who have been Maine residents for five years or longer have to be notified within 30 days of ...
Mother to take polygraph test in case of missing Ayla Reynolds
PORTLAND, Maine — The mother of Ayla Reynolds said reports last week that Ayla’s father, Justin DiPietro, took a polygraph test administered by investigators has heightened her doubt about whether DiPietro is telling the truth. Trista Reynolds also said she and others in her family are arranging with investigators to ...
Chiefs worry about waiting for fire investigations
BANGOR, Maine — The state fire marshal says a month-old change in his office’s policy regarding fire investigations has had little effect on which fires are reviewed, though municipal fire chiefs said they are leery about the impact of the change over time. Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Morris ...
North Anson woman charged with burning her own home in 2008
on Sept. 30, 2011, at 7:28 p.m.
SKOWHEGAN, Maine — A North Anson woman has been brought back to Maine to face an arson charge. Mary Hoskins, 50, is charged in connection with a fire that badly damaged her mobile home on Embden Pond Road in North Anson in September 2008. Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s ...
Police to train on simulators to educate teen drivers on dangers of texting
AUGUSTA, Maine — Officials with the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety are hoping that two computer simulators will help cut down on the number of teens killed during accidents on Maine roads. The agency announced Wednesday that it had secured a $20,000 grant to purchase the two simulators, which feature ...
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Psychological autopsy being conducted on Dexter murder-suicide
BANGOR, Maine — A psychological autopsy, typically done in high-profile cases such as the Columbine massacre and the Virginia Tech murders, is being conducted on the domestic violence homicides of a Dexter family in an effort to prevent similar tragedies. A team of professionals who have extensive experience with domestic ...
Maine groups getting $1M to help fight violence against women
The Associated Press on Sept. 18, 2011, at 9:39 a.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Department of Public Safety has awarded more $1 million in federal money to 27 Maine organizations to combat violence against women. Officials say this is the 16th year that Maine has received money from the federal Department of Human Services’ STOP Violence Against Women program. ...
Lebanon men facing charges after cocaine bust
LEBANON, Maine — A drug bust in southern Maine has led to charges for a pair of Lebanon men, according to a press release sent by the Maine Department of Public Safety on Monday afternoon. Marc Plante, 42, and Peter Provencal, 40, both from Lebanon, which is located in southwestern ...
Man who led police on chase arrested in Biddeford
on Aug. 18, 2011, at 7:08 p.m.
BIDDEFORD, Maine — Maine State Police say the man who led them on a high-speed chase on the Maine Turnpike early Wednesday morning was arrested on another charge in another car later that evening. Biddeford police arrested Jack Coffey, 51, of Arundel on Wednesday evening on an unrelated charge of ...
Police: Be on the lookout for man who fatally attacked elderly woman in Farmington
By Ann Bryant, Sun Journal on June 21, 2011, at 9:33 p.m.
FARMINGTON, Maine — State police are urging local residents to watch for changes in behavior of friends and relatives or for someone with cuts on their hands that might indicate involvement in a home invasion Tuesday in which an 81-year-old woman was attacked and later died. Maine State Police Lt. ...
Damage in fatal Tremont fire too extensive to pinpoint cause
AUGUSTA, Maine — The cause of last Friday’s fire in Tremont that claimed the lives of two people cannot be determined because of extensive burn damage at the scene, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Three fire investigators finished their inspection of the fire scene Wednesday and could not pinpoint ...
Maine crime rate rises 3.6 percent in 2010
The Associated Press on May 25, 2011, at 10:28 a.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Department of Public Safety says crime in the state increased by 3.6 percent last year, as drug abuse pushed up the incidence of robberies and thefts. However, Wednesday’s newly released statistics show a decrease in domestic violence for the third consecutive year. Public Safety Commissioner ...
Bills would restructure sex offender registry, stiffen penalties against convicts
AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers heard testimony Monday on bills to stiffen penalties against sex offenders and to revamp the way information on offenders is presented on the state’s popular online registry. For several years, legislators have debated creating a tiered sex offender registry that differentiates between offenders based on the ...
Police seeking tips about pickup truck possibly connected to Glenburn teen’s disappearance
Since 1971, seven Maine children reported missing have not been found
Company seeks $200,000 for retrieving lost lobster boat
A better way to help people escape welfare
A letter to Michelle Obama in light of military sex assault epidemic
Five steps to remedy IRS wrongs
Manchester 15-year-old off to impressive start for Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports
Houlton council, community still concerned about costly Millar Civic Center
Bangor’s Marcus Davis hopes to counter opponent’s height, reach advantage in Lewiston MMA main event
Kitchen Nightmares meltdown or: How to lose an argument online
Farmers markets embracing food stamps with the help of USDA
Arguments over gun control and abortion will never be settled
For those who are too fat for Abercrombie and Fitch
A spot of tea, a spread of treats, at Camden’s Fromviandoux