ELLSWORTH, Maine — A man accused of destroying his employer’s paper records and an Ellsworth woman suspected of stealing more than $16,000 in unemployment benefits are among 17 people indicted Thursday by a Hancock County grand jury.
Also indicted was a woman who was on probation for a prior drug conviction when she was stopped for an all-terrain vehicle violation and was found to have nearly 300 prescription pills in her possession.
Robert M. Machanic, 32, of Bar Harbor was indicted on charges of arson, aggravated criminal mischief, criminal mischief and theft.
Matthew Foster, district attorney for Hancock County, said Friday that Machanic burglarized the office of the motel where he worked on July 5. After Machanic allegedly vandalized the office, scattering paper records on the floor, he took some of the paperwork back to his home and used it to start a bonfire in his yard, Foster said. The incident was prompted by a disagreement Machanic had had with his supervisor, according to the prosecutor.
The arson charge is a Class A felony, while the aggravated criminal mischief and theft charges are Class C felonies. If convicted, Machanic could face up to 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine on the arson charge and up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for each of the Class C crimes. Criminal mischief is a misdemeanor Class D offense that carries a maximum possible penalty of 364 days in jail and a fine of $2,000.
Kayla Massicotte, who made headlines last week after she was arrested in connection with a fatal police shooting in Bangor, was indicted on two theft charges — one a Class C felony and the other a Class E misdemeanor.
Massicotte, 25, of Ellsworth, is accused of sporadically receiving unemployment benefits between November 2010 and August 2012, Foster said Friday. The district attorney said Massicotte had a job during that time but still filed for and collected more than $16,000 in unemployment benefits. Class E misdemeanors are punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Two people were indicted on charges stemming from an ATV stop in Franklin on May 30, according to Foster. One of them, Amy M. Poors, 41, of Ellsworth, is facing two Class A charges of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs as a result.
Foster said Poors and Gregory Trundy, 51, of Hancock were riding on an ATV when they were stopped by a Maine State Police trooper for operating the vehicle on a public way. The trooper became suspicious when they appeared to be trying to conceal something from him and, after questioning them about it, found them to be in possession of approximately 170 Percocet pills and approximately 100 Adderall pills, Foster said.
Poors was charged with aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs because she was on probation for a December 2013 conviction for unlawful trafficking in drugs, according to the prosecutor. In addition, Poors was charged with three counts of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs — one Class C, one Class D and the third a Class E charge.
Trundy was indicted Thursday on a Class B charge of unlawful trafficking in drugs and a Class C charge of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs. Poors, who was driving the ATV, also was cited for not having a valid registration sticker on the vehicle.
Also indicted Thursday were:
Erik R. Clute, 42, Franklin, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, terrorizing.
Michael D. Dichard, 62, Bucksport, burglary, theft.
Kevin M. Guptill, 31, Eastbrook, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.
Cary W. Harper, 41, Ellsworth, negotiating a worthless instrument, violating conditions of release.
Casey T. Henderson, 43, Trenton, unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.
Gerald C. Kane, Jr., 54, theft.
Steve M. Kane, 24, Bucksport, aggravated assault, assault, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, driving to endanger.
Matthew J. Lester, 33, Gouldsboro, reckless conduct with a firearm, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, criminal mischief.
Mark E. Lewis, 54, Bangor, theft by unauthorized taking, violating conditions of release.
Christopher M. Mann, 36, Bucksport, aggravated assault, domestic violence assault, endangering the welfare of a child.
Amy L. Myers, 45, Eastport, theft by unauthorized taking, theft by deception, forgery, attempted theft, violating conditions of release.
Steven I. Roberson, 36, Ellsworth, criminal operating a motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicants, operating after revocation, operating an unregistered vehicle, failure to give a correct name, violating conditions of release.
Jody Stahre, 44, Blue Hill, unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs, failure to appear in court.
