LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield Farmers’ Club is broke, but its officers say the Litchfield Fair gates still will open Sept. 7-9 for the annual agricultural exhibition.

However, the premiums or prizes might be smaller than in previous years.

The president and first vice president have said the club’s treasury is down to $1,000 or less, meaning more than $80,000 is missing.

Detective John Bourque, of the Kennebec Sheriff’s Office, said Wednesday there is an active investigation into the money’s disappearance, but he declined to offer specifics at this point.

However, a message posted Wednesday evening on the fair’s Facebook page assigns blame for the loss without mentioning the name of the person responsible for it.

“As many of you have heard, the Litchfield Farmer’s Club bank accounts have been drained by our treasurer,” the message says.

The Kennebec Journal is withholding publication of the treasurer’s name because he had not been charged by Wednesday evening and he has not responded to requests for comment.

Charlie Smith, president of the Litchfield Farmers’ Club, which operates the fair and fairgrounds, stood Wednesday inside the pulling ring at the fairgrounds along with First Vice President Richard Brown, saying they are seeking donations to help pay the bills. They said $20,000 would go a long way and have arranged for Camden National Bank to set up a bank account to receive any donations made at any branch location.

Officials who run the Topsham Fair have offered their assistance as well.

The Litchfield Farmers’ Club held an emergency meeting Tuesday night to decide how to deal with the crisis. Attorney Kevin Sullivan, a regular attendee at the Litchfield Fair, volunteered his services to assist them as well.

The men said Wednesday that the club’s treasurer, who has been in place since 2014, resigned, and the club officers voted to fire him Tuesday night.

“He was very apologetic,” Brown said.

Smith said the sheriff’s office had contacted him last week after Camden National Bank indicated some suspicious activity in the fair accounts.

Smith, who has been club president since 2008, said he went to the bank last week and was provided with statements for the past year.

“I viewed them that evening and confirmed that there were things out of the ordinary, and I notified the other officers,” he said. “We had treasurer’s reports every month, and they don’t coincide with the bank statements.”

While the investigation has just begun, Smith said, “we’re focusing on the fair and getting the fair off the ground.”

“It’s left the fair with an inability to open without financial assistance,” Sullivan said, although both club officers said it will open.

“We’ll do it; we’re a bunch of farmers,” Brown said.

“We just need help,” Smith said. “This fair is a family fair, it’s like old home weekend and has been for years, and it’s going to continue.”

“The bottom line is, it takes a lot of money to get this fair off the ground,” added Sullivan. “They lost the savings they had to rebuild buildings here and to add infrastructure here. It’s all gone; the money was wiped out. We really do need people to step up. We need businesses to step up.”

The men said the treasurer agreed to turn over the club’s financial records and agreed to cooperate with any investigation.

An interim treasurer has been appointed because the fair starts in a little more than two weeks.

Some of the club’s checks had been bouncing, and the money earmarked to build a replacement ticket booth is missing.

“This was apparently a hide-the-ball thing for quite some time,” Sullivan said.

He said a debit card had been obtained for the account and there were records of transactions at Oxford Casino, private car payments made and direct withdrawals.

“It is clear to us he has a gambling problem,” Sullivan said. “We know what’s going on. We know what happened. We know where the money went. We know why it went there. We know who took it. The information as we have it is being provided to the Kennebec (County) Sheriff’s Office to deal with as a criminal prosecution.”

He declined to say more about that while the investigation is underway.

“It’s left the Litchfield Farmers’ Club in a very sticky situation to get this fair open in two weeks, and they need the help,” Sullivan added.

Brown said the loss is terrible.

“We can’t believe it,” he said. “I really haven’t been able to sleep since Charlie told us.”

The men said they determined money had been disappearing during the past couple of years.

Brown said the club awards a $500 agricultural and life science scholarship each year from the interest on a $10,000 designated account.

“It’s down to 61 cents,” he said.

Smith said money will help ensure the fair’s viability.

“We have contracts; we have vendors that we’re obligated to,” Smith said. “It takes a great deal to get this fair off the ground.”

Sullivan said the Litchfield Farmers’ Club has an insurance policy and club officials are looking into the specifics of the coverage.

“Basically, when you put your faith in someone, you expect them to be careful; in this case, that wasn’t the case,” said Brown, who has been on the board since 1980.

Smith said nothing like this has happened previously to the club.

“Our treasurers usually last 20 years,” he said.

The fair brochure says about 17,000 people attend the Litchfield Fair each year.

Fair exhibits can be submitted by residents of Litchfield, Bath, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Dresden, Farmingdale, Gardiner, Greene, Leeds, Lewiston, Lisbon, Manchester, Monmouth, Pittston, West Gardiner, Randolph, Richmond, Sabattus, Topsham, Wales, Wayne, Winthrop and Woolwich.

On Wednesday, the fairgrounds were populated with recreational vehicles filled with people attending the Aug. 22-26 Blistered Fingers Family Bluegrass Festival.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

AUGUSTA — The parents of Maddilyn Burgess, the Sturbridge, Massachusetts, woman found dead in the trunk of a car on Timberwood Drive in Gardiner, told WBZ-TV in Boston that their daughter was the victim of domestic abuse.

Burgess’ body was found in the trunk of a car driven by Gyrth Rutan, 34, also of Sturbridge, who died Aug. 9 when he shot himself in the head with a shotgun after state police stopped his car.

Cindi Ciani and Bill Burgess, her parents, said Rutan was Burgess’ boyfriend at the time of her death. Ciani told WBZ-TV that Rutan isolated her daughter from her close friends and that he was verbally and physically abusive to Maddilyn Burgess during their relationship.

“I knew something was wrong as soon as the officers asked me my name and came into the house,” Ciani told reporters. “I fell to the floor and the only thing I could say was, ‘No, no, no, my baby girl.'”

In June, her parents said she was granted an emergency restraining order against Rutan, but they were seeing each other again shortly afterward.

The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office identified Maddilyn Burgess’s body on Aug. 13 and said the cause of her death was blunt force trauma. They also confirmed that Rutan’s apartment in Sturbridge had “evidence of a crime scene” and the incident was being investigated as a homicide.

Her parents said Maddilyn Burgess had a history of substance abuse, but that was not a factor in her death.

Lindsay Corcoran, spokesperson for the Worcester County District Attorney, said Wednesday that no further information is available and the family speaking to news media outlets is their “personal choice.”

The office of the state’s chief medical examiner told the Kennebec Journal last week that the results of autopsies on Burgess’ and Rutan’s bodies could not be released because the investigation is ongoing.

According to an obituary published by Paridis-Givner Funeral Home in Massachusetts, Maddilyn Burgess graduated from Medfield High School in 2008. She later received an associate degree in medical assisting at Salter College.

“… (S)he was often a source of encouragement to others with her sweet, genuine soul and infectious smile that lit up an entire room,” the obituary reads. “She would want to be remembered for the beautiful person that she was, and have her life celebrated without guilt, remorse or anger.”

Maddilyn Burgess’ family is working with the YWCA of Central Massachusetts Daybreak program to raise money for victims of domestic violence. A GoFundMe campaign has been started to raise money for victims in abusive situations.

Francine Garland Stark, executive director of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, said each domestic abuse situation is unique, and when victims of abuse return to their abuser, the blame should be put firmly on the abuser for ensuing trouble.

“It’s not like it’s black-and-white,” she said. “We know is that the abuse doesn’t stop until the perpetrator of abuse decides to stop.”

“Most of the time, when we see domestic violence homicide, it’s when the victim of abuse says they are leaving and not going to reconcile with this person,” she added.

A large portion of domestic violence incidents go unnoticed in the community, Garland Stark said, because abusers usually take steps to hide it from the public.

“People who do these acts usually don’t treat anyone else in the world this way,” she said. “They know that it’s wrong; otherwise they wouldn’t try so hard to hide it.”

Garland Stark said work needs to be done at the cultural level to deal with abusers’ belief that abusive behavior is acceptable.

“Our cultural focus seems to continually be, ‘Why would the victim of abuse be willing to give their abuser more chances?'” she said. “How can we interrupt the idea that (abusers) can treat people this way in an intimate relationship so nobody believes they have a right to do harm?”

Sam Shepherd — 621-5666

sshepherd@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @SamShepME

IN CANAAN, Tuesday at 4:41 p.m., assault was reported on Sand Road.

IN CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Tuesday at 12:45 p.m., disturbance was reported on Poplar Stream Road.

IN FAIRFIELD, Tuesday at 11:48 a.m., assault was reported on Prescott Drive.

1 p.m., larceny or fraud was reported on Skowhegan Road.

3:05 p.m., larceny or fraud was reported at Police Plaza.

3:14 p.m., larceny or fraud was reported on Norridgewock Road.

3:37 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Western Avenue.

5:47 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Burrill Street.

10:13 p.m., disturbance was reported on Sites Stinson Drive.

11:50 p.m., a traffic stop led to an arrest on Main Street.

IN FARMINGTON, Tuesday at 12:21 p.m., harassment was reported on Main Street.

4:18 p.m., trespassing was reported on the University of Maine at Farmington campus.

IN HARTLAND, Tuesday at 11:58 a.m., a scam was reported on Canaan Road.

7:54 p.m., a motor vehicle burglary was reported on Ford Hill Road.

IN JAY, Tuesday at 1:14 p.m., theft or fraud was reported on Lavoie Street.

3:29 p.m., disturbance was reported on Main Street.

7:24 p.m., an arrest was made on a warrant on Plaisted Road.

Wednesday at 5:57 a.m., a fire service call was reported on Main Street.

IN KINGFIELD, Tuesday at 3:21 p.m., juvenile offenses were reported on West Kingfield Road.

IN MADISON, Tuesday at 2:40 p.m., a scam was reported on Weston Avenue.

6:14 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Towne Road.

IN MOSCOW, Tuesday at 12:29 p.m., burglary was reported on Canada Road.

IN NORRIDGEWOCK, Tuesday at 11:23 p.m., a motor vehicle complaint led to an arrest on Waterville Road.

IN RANGELEY PLANTATION, Tuesday at 11:47 a.m., theft was reported on South Shore Drive.

IN RIPLEY, Wednesday at 1:35 p.m., disturbance was reported on Page Hill Road.

IN SANDY RIVER PLANTATION, Wednesday at 7:05 a.m., a vehicle fire was reported on Main Street.

IN SKOWHEGAN, Tuesday at 1:45 p.m., a harassment complaint was reported on Spring Street.

6:25 p.m., a harassment complaint was reported on Spring Street.

7:48 p.m., violation of bail or protective order was reported on Spring Street.

8:21 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on McClellan Street.

8:39 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on North Avenue.

Wednesday at 2:55 a.m., burglary was reported on Dartmouth Street.

IN SOLON, Tuesday at 6:59 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on South Solon Road.

IN VASSALBORO, Tuesday at 12:24 p.m., assault was reported on Taber Hill Road.

IN WATERVILLE, Tuesday at 8:49 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Franklin Street.

11:31 a.m., shoplifting was reported in JFK Plaza.

1:46 p.m., a fire was reported on Gold Street.

5:56 p.m., disturbance was reported on Green Street.

8:34 p.m., a drug offense was reported on Chaplin Street.

8:41 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Green Street.

9:34 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Front Street.

9:46 p.m., a noise complaint was reported on Pleasant Street.

11:04 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Eustis Parkway.

11:08 p.m., a traffic stop led to an arrest on Main Street.

11:27 p.m., theft was reported on Water Street.

Midnight, a traffic stop led to an arrest on Main Street.

Wednesday at 1:32 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Abbott Street.

4:10 a.m., a domestic dispute was reported on Water Street.

IN WILTON, Tuesday at 4:03 p.m., theft or fraud was reported on U.S. Route 2.

ARRESTS

IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, Tuesday at 12:05 a.m., Alan Maynard Austin, 53, of Phillips, was arrested on a charge of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.

11:16 a.m., Jennifer L. Witham, 41, of Wilton, was arrested on a charge of operating while license suspended or revoked with a prior conviction.

5:45 p.m., Robert Eugene Curtiss Jr., 28, of Jay, was arrested on charges of violating condition of release on two counts and obstructing report of a crime.

8:15 p.m., Kelly Jo Metivier, 35, of Jay, was arrested on a charge of failure to appear in court on two counts.

IN SOMERSET COUNTY, Tuesday at 11:47 a.m., Tabitha C. Duprey, 29, of Plymouth, was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear in court.

IN WATERVILLE, Tuesday at 8:11 p.m., Jason Stewart, 35, of Waterville, was arrested on a warrant.

11:15 p.m., Bradley Prescott, 27, of Skowhegan, was arrested on a warrant.

Midnight, Devon Duncan, 32, of New York, New York, was arrested on a charge of being a fugitive from justice.

AUGUSTA — An Augusta man who is already a registered sex offender faces four new charges of possessing child pornography.

Ryan E. Bishop, 38, was arrested Tuesday morning. He remains in the Kennebec County jail in lieu of $25,000 bail after making an initial appearance via video on the charges at the Capital Judicial Center.

He is charged with four counts of possession of sexually explicit materials depicting children under 12.

All the charges are dated March 31, 2017, in Augusta.

The investigation by the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit began in late December 2016 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children passed on a CyberTip from Pinterest.

The affidavit by Trooper Niles Krech says investigators located “approximately 8,000 images of child pornography” and “over 10,000 child pornography files” on electronic items seized from Bishop’s apartment on March 31, 2017.

He said the children depicted in the images ranged from under age 1 to about 12 years old.

Niles said Bishop also was the subject of a 2011 investigation resulting from a prior CyberTip.

Niles said Bishop’s prior convictions order him to register as a sex offender until 2029, but Niles told that Bishop is not on the Maine Sex Offender Registry website because of the amount of time that has passed since his convictions.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

Maine State Police are investigating the robbery of a Poland Spring water truck driver on Interstate 95 in Howland.

The truck driver told state troopers that the occupants of a red car fired a gun at his truck as they passed him while the two were heading south near the Howland-Mattamiscontis town line Tuesday evening, said Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

“The truck and the car both stopped and the truck driver was pulled out of the truck and money was stolen from him. The two men from the car reportedly then left the scene traveling south,” McCausland said in news release.

According to McCausland, the Poland Spring truck was hauling water from the company’s plant in Lincoln when the driver was robbed around 6:20 p.m. The truck driver was not injured.

“State police believe that this was an isolated incident and that there is no ongoing threat to the public,” McCausland said.

The suspects were said to be driving a red car with a light gray color on the driver’s side door. Anyone who may have seen the confrontation is asked to call the Maine State Police in Bangor at 973-3700.

Two intruders were captured and detained at gunpoint by two residents of an apartment house in Limington during an attempted burglary Tuesday morning.

Sheriffs deputies arrested 30-year-old Daniel Marcus Washington of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a 17-year-old juvenile male from Portland, York County Sheriff William L. King Jr. in a news release.

The resident of a second-floor apartment heard the sound of breaking glass and called the landlord, who lives in the first floor apartment that was burglarized, but wasn’t home at the time.

Another resident grabbed a shotgun and went to the first floor to investigate. When the landlord arrived, he got a rifle from his residence. The two men found the burglars hiding in a barn and held them until sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home on Ossippee Trail, King said.

The juvenile was taken to the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. Washington was charged with burglary, theft and aggravated criminal mischief.

AUGUSTA — A New Yorker who served lengthy federal prison terms for prior marijuana convictions was arrested Monday outside a Waterville hotel where police say they found 2 pounds of pot and lots of cash in the room he had used.

Nicholas Lombardo, 63, of Depew, New York, is charged with unlawful trafficking of more than a pound of marijuana and unlawful furnishing of cocaine, both dated Aug. 20.

Maine law allows for persons age 21 and older to possess 2.5 ounces of marijuana. But Lombardo is alleged to have been caught with 2 pounds, which is equal to 32 ounces and more than 12 times the legal limit of possession.

Each charge against Lombardo carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

He is being held at the Kennebec County jail in Augusta in lieu of $25,000 bail following an initial appearance via video Wednesday at the Capital Judicial Center.

A website of the Federal Bureau of Prisons says Lombardo was released most recently from federal prison in August 1998.

An affidavit by Waterville Police Officer Christopher Cowan filed at the court says he was called to the Budget Host Inn on Kennedy Memorial Drive to investigate a report of abandoned property — bags of marijuana — in a room.

He said hotel staff indicated Lomardo had checked into that room Aug. 18 for one night and did not check out the following day.

When staff entered to clean the room for new occupants, Cowan said they saw bags of marijuana on the bed and called police.

He said he found “four large freezer bags filled with marijuana in plain view on the bed.” Cowan said the weight totaled about 2 pounds.

Cowan said he also saw a large duffel bag with clothing and $82,130 in cash.

He said Lombardo’s vehicle was seen later parked at the hotel office and Lombardo was arrested. Cowan also said Lombardo had cocaine in his front right pocket.

He listed Lombardo’s criminal record, noting he had been sentenced to 144 months in federal prison as a result of a marijuana conviction in 1988 in Florida and 30 months in federal charges in a 1996 marijuana possession case in New York.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

AUGUSTA — A Winslow man had been inhaling Dust-Off, a compressed air cleaner just prior to crashing his vehicle into a Halifax Street house last January, according to a prosecutor.

Marc A. Ouellette, 49, pleaded guilty Thursday at the Capital Judicial Center to three misdemeanor charges related to the Jan. 31 incident: Operating under the influence, driving to endanger and criminal mischief.

He had been indicted on a charge of aggravated criminal mischief, but the charge was amended in exchange for the guilty pleas to the others.

Judge Eric Walker sentenced Ouellette to 364 days in jail, suspending all but seven of those days, and one year of probation. Ouellette was fined a total of $1,275 and his license and registration privileges were suspended for three years. An additional 30-day suspension was ordered for the driving to endanger charge.

Attorney Scott Hess, who represented Ouellette, said he told his client that as a result of the convictions, he might be classified as a habitual offender by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and subject to other sanctions.

The judge was told there was no restitution in the case because the homeowner’s insurance covered the repairs.

The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Kristin Murray-James, requested a specific probation condition banning Ouellette from possession of Dust-Off, a computer cleaning spray, saying Ouellette had been inhaling it prior to the crash. Walker banned Ouellette from Dust-Off-like products and ordered him to undergo substance abuse evaluation and counseling if needed.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

IN AUGUSTA, on Wednesday at 7:49 a.m., a Washington Street caller reported suspicious activity.

At 12:10 p.m., a disturbance was reported by a Water Street caller.

At 1:47 p.m., a Northern Avenue caller reported suspicious activity.

At 1:53 p.m., officers investigated a sex offense on Gage Street.

At 1:59 p.m., officers conducted an investigation around found property on Western Avenue near Interstate 95.

At 3:14 p.m., an Eastern Avenue caller reported a problem with a wild animal.

At 4:20 p.m., a Water Street caller reported a disturbance.

At 6:20 p.m., a Holly Hill Lane caller reported suspicious activity.

At 7:24 p.m., a Civic Center Drive caller reported a disturbance.

At 7:58 p.m., a Windsor Avenue caller reported suspicious activity.

At 9:39 p.m., officers investigated a reported harassment on Sewall Street.

On Thursday at 12 a.m., a North Belfast Avenue caller reported suspicious activity.

IN RANDOLPH, on Wednesday at 9:36 p.m., police conducted a welfare check on Woodlawn Circle.

IN PITTSTON, on Thursday at 12:52 a.m., police investigated a triggered house alarm on East Pittston Road.

IN WINDSOR, on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m., police investigated a domestic dispute on Caswell Road.

ARRESTS

IN AUGUSTA, on Wednesday at 2:43 p.m., John Mitchell, 20, of Augusta, was arrested on an outstanding warrant after officers investigated a reported theft on Western Avenue.

At 8:06 p.m., Ronald Ricker, 54, of Augusta, was arrested on a charge of assaulting an officer following a reported disturbance on Eastern Avenue.

On Thursday at 2:56 a.m., police arrested John Gilboy, 43, of Augusta, on an outstanding warrant.

FARMINGTON — A local man whose conviction for domestic violence assault was overturned in June will appear in a Farmington court Sept. 5 to prepare for a new trial, attorneys for both sides said Wednesday.

Wesley M. Villacci, 23, was found guilty in September 2017 of felony domestic violence assault and violating conditions of release. He was sentenced to 4½ years in prison, with all but three years suspended, and four years of probation.

In June, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ordered a new trial, after finding a Franklin County court erred when giving instructions to the jury.

Villacci’s case and his bail will be reviewed in court Sept. 5.

Last month, he completed an Androscoggin County court sentence for domestic violence assault in 2015. He has since been held on $50,000 cash bail at the Franklin County Detention Center while awaiting a new trial.

IN ANSON, Wednesday at 2:43 p.m., a scam complaint was reported on Hilltop Road.

5:28 p.m., theft was reported on Campground Road.

IN ATHENS, Wednesday at 3:14 p.m., theft was reported on Harmony Road.

IN CLINTON, Wednesday at 10:51 p.m., threatening was reported on Park Avenue.

IN FAIRFIELD, Wednesday at 4:34 p.m., disturbance was reported on Montcalm Street.

9:13 p.m., disturbance was reported on Martin Stream Road.

IN FARMINGTON, Thursday at 1 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Main Street.

IN HARMONY, Wednesday at 12:34 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on North Road.

2:15 p.m., a harassment complaint was reported on North Road.

IN JAY, Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., trespassing was reported on Franklin Road.

8:50 p.m., harassment was reported on Main Street.

9:21 p.m., harassment was reported on Main Street.

10 p.m., disturbance was reported on Main Street.

Thursday at 5:16 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Cross Street.

IN MADISON, Wednesday at 10:43 a.m., an arrest was made on East Madison Road.

IN MADRID TOWNSHIP, Wednesday at 10:56 a.m., trespassing was reported on River Road.

IN NEWPORT, Wednesday at 11:47 p.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on Elm Street.

IN OAKLAND, Wednesday at 2 p.m., an arrest was made at the Oakland Police Department on Fairfield Street.

IN PALMYRA, Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., shots were reported to have been fired on Badgerboro Road.

IN PHILLIPS, Wednesday at 7:58 p.m., juvenile offenses were reported on Rangeley Road.

IN PITTSFIELD, Wednesday at 2:57 p.m., a scam was reported on Leonard Street.

10:56 p.m., an aircraft emergency was reported on Peltoma Avenue.

IN SKOWHEGAN, Wednesday at 9:58 a.m., theft was reported on Waterville Road.

1:34 p.m., trespassing was reported on Dartmouth Street.

1:58 p.m., threatening was reported on Madison Avenue.

4:53 p.m., harassment was reported on Beech Street.

5:40 p.m., burglary was reported on St. Mark Street.

10:39 p.m., disturbance was reported on Waterville Road.

11:22 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Main Street.

11:35 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Madison Avenue.

11:40 p.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on Water Street.

IN SOLON, Wednesday at 12:41 p.m., vandalism was reported on South Main Street.

IN WATERVILLE, Wednesday at 8:27 a.m., criminal trespassing was reported on Front Street.

11:49 a.m., a domestic dispute was reported on Main Street.

1:04 p.m., fraud or forgery was reported on Silvermount Street.

1:21 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Winter Street.

1:32 p.m., threatening was reported on Elm Street.

3:08 p.m., burglary was reported on Elm Street.

3:23 p.m., burglary was reported on Winter Street.

3:25 p.m., shoplifting was reported in JFK Plaza.

4:33 p.m., theft was reported on Silver Street.

7:28 p.m., disturbance was reported on Drummond Avenue.

8:02 p.m., burglary was reported on Winter Street.

8:43 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Trafton Road.

9:06 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Elm Street.

10:06 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Water Street.

10:19 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on High Street.

11:18 p.m., disturbance was reported at the intersection of Burleigh Street and Winter Street.

Thursday at 1:04 a.m., burglary of a motor vehicle was reported on Brooklyn Avenue.

1:44 a.m., a noise complaint was reported on Central Avenue.

4:53 a.m., a burglary of a motor vehicle was reported on Broad Street.

IN WILTON, Wednesday at 11:45 a.m., trespassing was reported on Weld Road.

IN WINSLOW, Wednesday at 10:04 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Harry Street.

10:33 a.m., fraud or forgery was reported on Cushman Road.

1:18 p.m., fraud or forgery was reported on Augusta Road.

Thursday at 3:59 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Halifax Street.

ARRESTS

IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, Wednesday at 9:07 a.m., Jamie Johnson, 50, of Wilton, was arrested on a probation hold and a charge of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.

A Gorham man with a history of escaping from authorities has eluded police once again, this time by jumping out of a moving vehicle in the Somerset County town of Caratunk, police said.

A deputy with the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office had attempted to pull over a vehicle driven by Corey W. Paradise, 45, on Monday on Canada Road, or U.S. Route 201, in Moscow, according to a Facebook post made by the sheriff’s office Thursday.

When he refused to stop, the deputy followed Paradise to Main Street in Caratunk, where he jumped out of the car and fled on foot, the post said.

Earlier this month, Paradise jumped out a window at a construction site in York after officers had used Taser stun guns on him. He fled barefoot into a nearby wooded area in the midst of a thunderstorm.

The sheriff’s office said information has been received that Paradise was spotted walking south Tuesday morning on Carry Pond Road, about 3 miles north of Pleasant Ridge Plantation.

He was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt, tan shorts and camouflage Crocs.

Paradise is the subject of multiple outstanding arrest warrants and is wanted by Somerset County on multiple charges stemming from a burglary.

In addition to the incident earlier this month, Paradise also led Scarborough police on a long, bizarre car chase that at times involved unusually slow speeds and ended with him being found hiding under a porch in 2014.

He has ties to the Jackman, Scarborough and Gorham areas.

Anyone with information about him is asked to call the Somerset County Regional Communications Center at 474-6386.

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368

rohm@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @rachel_ohm

AUGUSTA — A 31-year-old Waterville man already serving a sentence at the Maine State Prison pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated assault in an attack on his girlfriend.

Jonathan A. Petgrave was sentenced to an initial 28 months in prison, with the remainder of the six-year term suspended while he serves three years of probation.

At the hearing at the Capital Judicial Center, the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Kristin Murray-James, said Petgrave twice tried to strangle the woman on Aug. 14, 2017, before shoving her into a ditch on Bellsqueeze Road in Clinton.

Murray-James said the couple had been arguing since the previous day, and the physical attacks began the morning of the 14th.

She said that if the case had gone to trial, the victim would testify that Petgrave “strangled her to the point that she could not breathe.” Murray-James said the victim called a mutual friend to take her home, and Petgrave got into the car as well.

The prosecutor said Petgrave then ordered the driver to stop, dragged the woman out of the car and choked her again to the point that the woman thought she was going to die.

When the woman tried to return to the car, Petgrave yanked her out again and pushed her into a ditch, the prosecutor told the judge.

Murray-James said three independent witnesses heard the woman screaming, came out of their house and saw what happened.

Clinton police responded to the witnesses’ 911 call and found the victim hysterical in the middle of the road, with deep red marks on her neck and elbow, and wearing one shoe and a ripped shirt. The victim was treated at MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Thayer Center for Health in Waterville.

Attorney Charles T. Ferris, representing Petgrave, told Judge Eric Walker, “We disagree with many of the facts as recited by the state, but feel there is enough evidence that the state could probably prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.”

A related charge of domestic violence assault was dismissed in exchange for the plea.

Petgrave, who is originally from Brooklyn, New York, is serving a 30-month probation revocation for a drug possession conviction from Aroostook County and a 12-month sentence from Penobscot County for illegal possession of a firearm. The probation revocation was based on the conduct in the attack on the woman.

Murray-James said the victim was aware of Thursday’s hearing and agrees with the disposition.

Ferris said he believe the recommended sentence “is a fair resolution to a factually contested matter.”

The original sentence from the drug possession charge was three years in prison, with all but the initial 180 days suspended during the two years of probation.

Walker told Petgrave that if he violated the probation on the aggravated assault charge, he could serve another 3.5 years in prison.

“This sentence makes sense for the protection of the victim and the protection of the public,” Walker said.

Petgrave also was ordered to complete a certified batterers’ intervention course, as well as domestic violence court, and was banned from contact with the victim.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

Four people were charged and 50 grams of heroin were seized Tuesday night from a home at 5 East Pond Road in Oakland as the result of a two-month investigation by the Oakland Police Department and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, according to a news release Thursday from Oakland police.

During the execution of a search warrant, drug agents and officers seized the heroin along with $3,400 in cash. The approximate value of the heroin is $10,000.

The following people were charged:

• Tyquawn Lane, 25, of Oakland, is charged with four counts of aggravated trafficking of a schedule W drug.

• Shahanna Dasouza, 22, of Oakland, is charged with aggravated trafficking of a schedule W drug.

• Gina Genica, 28, of Oakland, is charged with unlawful possession of a schedule W drug.

• Ryan McKenna, 34, of Oakland, is charged with unlawful trafficking of a schedule W drug.

Lane is being held in lieu of $200,000 cash bail and Dasouza is being held in lieu of $50,000 cash bail at the Kennebec County jail in Augusta.

All are scheduled to appear in October in Augusta District Court.

AUGUSTA — Police were investigating a scene where a body was found Thursday afternoon on Weeks Mills Road and still had not identified the person by Friday morning.

“Detectives from the Augusta Police Department were following up leads on a missing person case and during the course of the investigation Detectives located an unidentified body,” Augusta police said in a news release sent about 8:30 p.m.

In an email Friday morning, Deputy Chief Kevin Lully said police were still trying to officially identify the body and did not have further information yet.

The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit van was on the scene, which is close to the intersection with North Belfast Avenue, also called Route 3, in the northeast section of the city.

The area is heavily wooded, and yellow tape cordons off a section of the forest close to the road.

A state trooper at the scene about 7:30 p.m. Thursday said he had no information about the body and would not say whether it was an adult or a child, or whether it was a possible suicide case.

Police said in the release the identity of the deceased person was not yet known.

By 8 p.m. the state police van was gone from the scene.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

Maine State Police say an investigation has cast doubt on parts of a report made by the driver of a tanker truck who told troopers he was shot at and robbed on Interstate 95 in Howland on Tuesday evening.

In a statement issued Wednesday, state police had said that the driver of the truck hauling water for Poland Spring reported being shot at by occupants of a red car and then, after pulling over on the highway, getting pulled out of the truck by men in the car and being robbed. The truck driver was not injured during the alleged robbery.

On Thursday, state police said they have doubts about aspects of the truck driver’s story

“After collecting physical evidence, digital evidence, and conducting follow-up interviews, troopers have determined that the alleged shooting of a tractor trailer by a passing motorist and subsequent robbery did not occur as it was reported,” Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said in a statement. “At this point, investigators have concluded that there was no attempt to target the truck or the company, and that there is no ongoing risk to the public.”

A shot was fired, but “it did not happen in the way that it was reported to us by the driver,” McCausland said.

The driver of the truck, who has not been identified, has not been charged. McCausland declined to say whether charges would be filed.

“We are still trying to determine the back story,” he said. “The story that he gave us on the night of the incident did not take place as he reported it. Now, we are trying to figure out why.”

McCausland said the water tanker was carrying water from Poland Spring’s plant in Lincoln, but the company does not own the truck and it was not marked with its name or logo.

State police had asked for the public’s help in locating the occupants of the red car that the truck driver said fired at his rig while both vehicles were traveling southbound on I-95 near the Mattamiscontis/Howland town line.

Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com

A work-release inmate who failed to report to his designated place of employment Thursday was later taken into custody at the Maine Mall in South Portland.

Jeremiah Gamblin, 19, of Vassalboro was employed through the Cumberland County Community Corrections work release program, Capt. Wayne Pike of the Cumberland County Jail said in a news release. Work-release prisoners are housed on the campus of the county jail in Portland and are able to leave the property for work duty.

Staff from the program learned that Gamblin did not report for his work assignment at 5 p.m., and also received information that he was heading toward the mall and its complex of retail stores, restaurants and coffee shops.

Staff from the work release program headed to the Maine Mall and located Gamblin at 7:22 p.m. He was transported back to the county jail, where he was being held Thursday night. Pike gave no indication what Gamblin was doing when they found him at the mall.

Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com

IN AUGUSTA, on Thursday at 7:51 a.m., officers investigated a past burglary reported by Water Street caller.

At 9:12 a.m., a Fowler Street caller reported an animal problem.

At 10:07 a.m., a Bangor Street caller reported an intoxicated person.

At 10:31 a.m., a Civic Center Drive caller reported suspicious activity.

At 10:47 a.m., a Gage Street caller reported suspicious activity.

At 11:49 a.m., a State Street caller reported an animal complaint.

At 1:13 p.m., police conducted an investigation around recovered property found near Cedar Street.

At 1:50 p.m., police investigated criminal threatening reported by a Northern Avenue caller.

At 2:18 p.m., a State Street caller reported suspicious activity.

At 4:55 p.m., police investigated a littering incident on Glenridge Drive.

At 5:52 p.m., a Stone Street caller reported trespassing.

At 7:25 p.m., police investigated a reported theft on Oxford Street.

At 7:30 p.m., police investigated a disturbance reported on Mount Vernon Avenue.

At 8:14 p.m., police investigated reported disorderly conduct on Fowler Street.

At 8:15 p.m., a Water Street caller reported a disturbance.

At 9:11 p.m., a Western Avenue caller reported a disturbance.

At 10:13 p.m., a Bangor Street caller reported a disturbance.

At 10:13 p.m., a Hospital Street caller reported suspicious activity.

IN BENTON, on Thursday at 12:40 p.m., officers investigated sex offenses reported by a Brimstone Hill Road caller.

IN VASSALBORO, on Thursday at 5:47 p.m., police investigated a reported burglary on Church Hill Road.

At 8:20 p.m., a caller near Webber Pond Road reported an animal incident.

Arrests

IN AUGUSTA, on Thursday at 1:16 p.m., Helen Waterhouse, 49, of Randolph, was arrested on a charge of operating with a suspended licenses and violating conditions of release following a Bangor Street traffic stop.

At 2:40 p.m., Robert Matteson, 43, of Augusta, was arrested on a charge of unlawful sexual contact after police located him on Chamberlain Street.

At 6:47 p.m., David Strain, 35, of Augusta, was arrested on a charge of violating conditions of release after police located him on Franklin Street.

Summons

IN AUGUSTA, on Thursday at 9:37 p.m., a 16-year old was summonsed on a charge of possession of alcohol by a minor following a reported disturbance on Mount Vernon Avenue.

ALBION — A registered sex offender was arrested Thursday in Albion on five charges — two of them for prohibited contact with a person under the age of 14.

Officers were called to property on Quaker Hill Road at 9:47 p.m. after receiving a complaint that Vincent Robinson, 52, of Albion, was unwanted on the property, according to a Friday press release from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.

He was arrested on a fugitive from justice warrant and charges of failure to comply with the Sex Offender Registry, two counts of prohibited contact with a person under the age of 14, and failure to provide a correct name and address.

The release said Robinson is a convicted sex offender in Maine with “several felony convictions in Maine and New Jersey that were violent/sexual in nature.”

Robinson is on federal probation and is not allowed to have contact with children younger than the age of 18.

Additionally, the sheriff’s department wrote, he has used several alias names to avoid detection, including using an alias prior to his arrest.

Robinson was taken to Kennebec County Correctional Facility. No bail is set, according to the release.

Sam Shepherd — 621-5666

sshepherd@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @SamShepME

AUGUSTA — Two groups of people were indicted Thursday on drug trafficking charges for incidents that allegedly took place in Augusta and Hallowell.

They were among a number of people indicted on various charges Thursday by a grand jury sitting in Kennebec County.

An indictment is not a determination of guilt, but it indicates that there is enough evidence to proceed with formal charges and a trial.

Olin Charette, 61, of Vassalboro, Nicholas Ames, 30, of Vienna, and Michael Seegars, also known as Michael Nicholas Seegars, 20, of New York City, were indicted on charges of unlawful trafficking in heroin June 5 in Augusta. Two of the men were arrested that day in the parking lot of Home Depot.

In addition, Charette faces charges of conspiracy to commit unlawful trafficking in drugs and three counts of violation of condition of release, all from June 5 in Augusta.

Ames and Seegars also face charges of unlawful trafficking in cocaine base and unlawfully furnishing heroin.

Charette and Seegars remain at the Kennebec County jail as of today; Ames is free on bail.

In a separate incident, Lenwood Williams, 27, and Heather Buccheri, 29, both of Baltimore, Maryland, were indicted on two counts of aggravated trafficking in heroin, and one count each of unlawful trafficking in heroin, unlawful trafficking in fentanyl and unlawful possession of heroin, all June 29, following a police chase along the interstate and the Maine Turnpike that ended in Hallowell. According to a police report from that incident, the couple said they were driving to Canada.

Williams also was indicted on charges of unlawful possession of fentanyl, eluding an officer and driving to endanger that allegedly occurred on the same date and in the same city.

Both were free on bail as of today.

A number of other people were indicted on various charges by the same grand jury:

• Austin T. Bechard, 24, and Samuel P. Jordan, 36, both of Augusta, theft by unauthorized taking of more than $1,000 from the Eagles Club of Augusta Dec. 17, 2017, in Augusta.

• Aaron Francis Brunelle, 39, of Augusta, aggravated assault, domestic violence assault, violation of a protective order and domestic violence terrorizing June 2, 1017, in Augusta.

• Mikel D. Cameron, 37, of Augusta, aggravated trafficking in heroin, unlawful possession of Suboxone, unlawful possession of clonazepam, and criminal forfeiture of $8,656, all May 30 in Waterville.

• Phillip N. Caouette, 33, of Winslow, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, a firearm, April 3 in Waterville.

• Randall S. Cook, 64, of Waterville, and Richard L. Hildreth, 62, of Fairfield, tampering with a victim, falsifying physical evidence and violation of condition of release Sept. 22, 2017-June 4, 2018, in Waterville.

• Robert Dale Corson III, 23, of Waterville, burglary and theft by unauthorized taking May 11, 2017, in Waterville.

• Sharon R. Cross, 35, of Augusta, criminal operating under the influence, operating after suspension, improper plates, criminal mischief and driving to endanger, all April 23 in Augusta.

• Alan Dziob, 37, of Limestone, unlawful trafficking of heroin and/or fentanyl and unlawful trafficking of cocaine Feb. 22 in Litchfield.

• Kathleen E. Fleury, 52, of Manchester, violation of condition of release and violation of a protective order June 14 in Hallowell; violation of condition of release and violation of a protective order June 13 in Gardiner; domestic violence stalking, violation of a protective order and violation of a condition of release May 5-June 13 in Gardiner.

• Brock Hamilton, 31, of Farmingdale, unlawful trafficking in heroin Jan. 25 in Winthrop; unlawful trafficking in heroin and unlawful trafficking in cocaine base Feb. 13 in Manchester; and unlawful possession of cocaine and criminal forfeiture of $721, June 28 in Augusta.

• Patrick D. Hamilton, 29, of Waterville, domestic violence assault June 14 in Waterville.

• Jonathan King, 26, of Winthrop, unlawful trafficking in heroin, unlawful trafficking in cocaine base and violation of condition of release, all Feb. 28; and unlawful trafficking in cocaine base March 21, all in Augusta.

• Jamilee Kus, 35, of Waterville, forgery June 9-July 26, 2017, in Waterville. Kus was convicted om 2013 of robbing a bank in the Maine Mall.

• Nick J. Lehay, 42, of Albion, arson and aggravated criminal mischief April 30 in Winslow.

• Natasha Mae Nadeau, 28, of Waterville, violation of a condition of release and violation of a protective order March 30.

• John Rolfe, 38, of Augusta, unlawful trafficking in heroin April 2 and unlawful possession of cocaine base April 3, both in Augusta.

• Brandon W. Sanford, 36, of Skowhegan, aggravated trafficking in fentanyl Jan. 12 in Waterville.

• Joel M. Severance, 27, of Augusta, domestic violence assault on a child less than 6 years old and domestic violence assault between July 1, 2017, and March 20, 2018, in Augusta.

• Paul G. Vigue, 37, of Augusta, domestic violence reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, a motor vehicle, and domestic violence assault May 29 in Hallowell.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams