AUGUSTA

Thursday at 8:15 a.m., a burglary was reported on Church Hill Road.

9:14 a.m., a traffic hazard was reported on Gage Street.

9:46 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Oxford Street.

9:54 a.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Xavier Loop and Civic Center Drive.

9:58 a.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Cony Road.

10:12 a.m., a well-being check was performed on Franklin Street.

10:35 a.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Chapel Street.

10:37 a.m., a traffic hazard was reported on Route 3.

10:49 a.m., a 55-year-old Gardiner man was issued a summons on a charge of theft after theft was reported on Crossing Way.

11:39 a.m., a well-being check was performed on Northern Avenue.

12:42 p.m., indecency was reported on Cony Circle.

12:53 p.m., property was recovered on Cony Street and Cony Road.

1:39 p.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Bond Street.

1:50 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Sewall Street.

2:41 p.m., a past burglary was reported on Eastern Avenue.

3:46 p.m., a mental health and well-being check was performed on Court Street.

3:56 p.m., harassment was reported on Stone Street.

4:29 p.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Bolton Hill Road.

5:12 p.m., theft was reported on Western Avenue.

5:45 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on North Chestnut Street.

8:19 p.m., theft of a motor vehicle was reported on Medical Center Parkway.

8:25 p.m., a 19-year-old Vassalboro man was issued a summons on charges of being a minor purchasing liquor and a minor having a false identification, after an investigation on Union Street.

9:16 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Water Street.

9:41 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Edison Drive.

10:21 p.m., another 19-year-old Vassalboro man was issued a summons on charges of being a minor purchasing liquor and a minor having a false identification, after an investigation on Union Street.

10:30 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Eastern Avenue.

10:40 p.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on Oak Street.

BELGRADE

Thursday at 11:41 p.m., a well-being check was performed on Augusta Road.

GARDINER

Thursday at 2:06 p.m., trespassing was reported on Adams Street.

8:11 p.m., a well-being check was performed on Autumn Street.

HALLOWELL

Thursday at 3:53 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Water Street.

3:53 p.m., a 25-year-old man, a 27-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman from Gardiner were each issued a summons on a charge of criminal trespass after an investigation on Winthrop Street.

10:54 p.m., a well-being check was performed on Water Street and Wilder Street.

LITCHFIELD

Thursday at 8:53 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Academy Road.

MONMOUTH

Thursday at 10:02 p.m., harassment was reported on Route 126.

Friday at 2:58 p.m., a well-being check was performed on Main Street.

MOUNT VERNON

Thursday at 10:04 p.m., theft was reported on North Five Seasons Road.

WEST GARDINER

Thursday at 11:12 p.m., theft was reported on Ashley Lane.

WINTHROP

Thursday at 10:04 a.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Sturtevant Hill Road.

4:02 p.m., harassment was reported on Main Street.

7:57 p.m., harassment was reported on Pinewood Drive.

8:31 p.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Mount Pisgah Road.

10:35 p.m., a suspicious person was reported on Main Street.

Friday at 7:36 a.m., a well-being check was performed on Upper Narrows Lane.

ARREST

WINTHROP

Thursday at 12:37 p.m., Daniel D. Ackerley, 30, of Winthrop, was arrested on three warrants after an incident on U.S. Route 202.

Tramps, marauders and a jealous wife of a neighbor were all suspects when 17-year-old Mattie Hackett was found dying, a cord embedded tightly round her swollen throat not far from her Readfield home on the evening of Aug. 17, 1905.

Her father recalled hearing a scuffling sound and a shout not long before, but attributed it to some children.

The sheriff and others searched hours for suspects, questioning and eliminating them one after the other.

Finally the jealous wife, Elsie Hobbs Raymond, went on trial in April 1912 on a charge of murdering Hackett. Raymond testified she spent hours that evening alone, sitting outside on the ground at the rear of her home following an argument with her husband. Elsie Raymond denied going near the Hackett home. Her husband, Bert Raymond, had worked with Hackett at the Elmwood Hotel prior to his marriage.

A jury believed Elsie Raymond, deliberating less than two hours before acquitting her, thereby leaving the mystery of the murder of Hackett intact.

The sad story of the young girl’s unsolved murder provided a catalyst to a modern songwriter-musician Ellen Bowman of Readfield.

Bowman recently completed “Ode to Mattie Hackett: A Maine Murder Ballad.”

The chorus asks, “Oh, sweet Mattie. Did-ja have to go so soon?”

Bowman sings it in a strong voice, combining on stage with the banjo-playing of her son Aaron Bowman Neily and fiddler Charlie Moen of Madison. They call themselves “The Thundercastle Trio” and play original and old-time music.

Bowman wanted “Ode” to sound like something that would have been heard on the front porches of the town around the turn of the 20th century, when Hackett was alive.

“It’s part of the history of Maine and a tribute to her,” Bowman said. “This was a joy to do.”

They debuted “Ode to Mattie Hackett” at the home of Readfield Historical Society on May 28, the day it opened for the summer. Evelyn Potter, the society’s historian, said her grandmother was working the switchboard the night that the girl’s death was reported.

The trio reprised the tune a couple of weeks later at a local restaurant, and now Bowman is looking to make a recording of it.

Bowman first heard of the Hackett slaying when she asked a fellow Readfield resident what was the worst thing that had happened in the town of Readfield, a rural community with a lot of lake frontage west of Augusta.

“That answer made me deeply curious,” Bowman said. She did some research and began to identify more closely with the murdered girl.

“She was bright. She had a future, goals and promises,” she said.

Hackett attended Kents Hill School, and so did Bowman. Hackett lived and died less than three miles from Bowman’s house, and the grave is even closer.

“When I got writer’s block, I would go sit quietly by her grave,” Bowman said.

The late Tom Lane told Bowman his parents recalled looking out their window to see the lanterns of searchers bobbing in the fields for hours as they sought the girl’s killer.

The Daily Kennebec Journal carried stories day after day of the killing. The headlines on Aug. 18, 1905, tell almost the entire story: “HORRIBLE MURDER BELOW KENT’S HILL — Mattie Hackett, Aged About 18 Years, Killed by Unknown Man, Last Evening. ASSAULT ATTEMPTED. Tramp Asked for Food — Mattie Was Preparing It — Father from Barn Heard Noise and Found Girl Dying — Gash on Head — Rope Around Neck, Strangling Her — Never Recovered Consciousness — Tramp Held for Complicity.”

The mystery deepened — there was no gash and the tramp was cleared quickly — and interest grew as an inquest and funeral took place, all of it reported faithfully in the newspaper.

But then only 10 days later, the girl’s murder was eclipsed by the news of a fire that killed four people, injured others, and forced people to leap from their windows at the Hotel Maranacook in Readfield.

Emeric Spooner published a book, “In Search of Mattie Hackett: A True Maine Unsolved Murder Mystery,” in 2010.

Bowman mused on the unsolved murder and took two years to write the song.

“The lyrics, the text came easily, and the melody took a long time,” Bowman said.

After asking why Mattie had to go so soon, the chorus continues: “On August 17, 1905, your family’s left to croon. Mattie, only 17. The search went on so long. Oldest unsolved mystery. So I wrote it down in song.”

Bowman is a psychotherapist who works with children frequently using therapeutic arts, including music. “Spoken conversation doesn’t always do it,” she said. “But they can sing what they’re going through.”

While she can play a variety of instruments, she decided against using her accordion in the song to allow the words to shine.

“I just wanted the melody to be so clear,” she said.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

IN ANSON, Saturday at 2:38 p.m., a harassment complaint was investigated on Campground Road.

IN BINGHAM, Saturday at 11:07 a.m., a motor vehicle burglary was reported on Meadow Street.

IN FAIRFIELD, Saturday at 1:54 a.m., a theft was reported on Oakland Road.

5:25 p.m., a fire was investigated on Middle Road.

IN NORRIDGEWOCK, Saturday at 8:46 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Martin Stream Road. Arrests were made.

IN OAKLAND, Saturday at 11:30 a.m., a fire was reported on Allagash Drive.

IN SKOWHEGAN, Saturday at 12:20 p.m., mischief was investigated on Dartmouth Street.

5:20 p.m., an assault was reported on Railroad Street. Arrests were made.

5:22 p.m., a harassment complaint was investigated on Cote Street.

6:11 p.m., vandalism was investigated on Turner Avenue.

8:02 p.m., a theft was reported on French Street.

IN ST. ALBANS, Saturday at 5:44 p.m., threatening was investigated on Cotta Lane.

9:07 p.m., threatening was reported on Ballard Road.

IN WATERVILLE, Saturday at 10:53 a.m., a domestic dispute was reported on West Street. A verbal warning was issued.

10:54 a.m., a disturbance was reported on Veteran Court.

1:02 p.m., a domestic dispute was reported on Union Street.

1:52 p.m., threatening was reported at Appleton Apartments on Hathway Street.

2:51 p.m., a theft was investigated at Save A Lot in the Concourse.

4:25 p.m., a domestic dispute was investigated on Percival Court.

6:58 p.m., an assault was investigated on Chaplin Street.

7:15 p.m., an assault was reported at Shaw’s on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

8:21 p.m., a theft was investigated on the Concourse.

9:55 p.m., threatening was investigated on Sterling Street.

11:33 p.m., a noise complaint was investigated at Home Place Inn on College Avenue.

11:51 p.m., criminal mischief was reported on Reservoir Street. Suspect was gone on arrival.

Sunday at 1:35 a.m., a disturbance was reported at Waterville House of Pizza on Main Street. Peace was restored.

IN WILTON, Saturday at 10:38 a.m., a theft or fraud was reported on Main Street.

IN WINSLOW, Saturday at 12:50 p.m., a chimney fire was reported on China Road.

7:45 p.m., threatening was investigated on Bellevue Street.

ARRESTS

IN FAIRFIELD, Saturday at 3:06 p.m., Richard Maberry, 42, of Waterville, was arrested on a charge of domestic violence assault.

IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, Saturday at 1:10 a.m., Angela Davis, 41, of New Sharon, was arrested on a charge of operating a vehicle under the influence with a prior.

11:40 a.m., Spencer Knox, 22, of Carthage, was arrested on charges of operating a vehicle without a license, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and operating a defective motor vehicle.

IN SOMERSET COUNTY, Saturday at 1:03 p.m., Codi James Reynolds, 18, of Canaan, was arrested on a charge of domestic violence assault.

8:33 p.m., William Dewaine Walston, 44, of Jackman, was arrested on a charge of violating a protection order.

SUMMONSES

IN WATERVILLE, Saturday at 9:32 p.m., Jeffrey Cunningham, 38, of Waterville, was summoned on charges of violating a condition of release and operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license.

10:34 p.m., Dick Gomez, 42, of Waterville, was summoned on a charge of operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license.

AUGUSTA — A former Windsor man charged with two counts of arson related to a fire July 5 that destroyed his former employer’s home allegedly freed the homeowner’s dog before setting the fire, according to court documents.

Joseph P. Manganella, 35, made an initial court appearance Monday at the Capital Judicial Center via video from Kennebec County jail.

Manganella had been arrested Friday in Gardiner and had been held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Justice Donald Marden set bail at $1,500 cash with the conditions requiring a Maine Pretrial Supervision contract and prohibiting Manganella from contact with the homeowners and from possessing incendiary devices.

Manganella is charged with burning down a 34-foot camper mobile home belonging to Eric and Kristie Baker on Blueberry Hill Lane, apparently to cover up a theft of tools. The Bakers’ three children, ages 7, 5, and eight months, lived there as well.

No one was at home at the time of the blaze, which was reported about 3 p.m. that day, and no one was injured in the fire. The Bakers were living in the camper-trailer on the site while preparing to build a cabin there.

The two charges brought by the Office of State Fire Marshal list alternative forms of arson. One says Manganella intentionally destroyed property, and one says Manganella recklessly endangered a person or property. A conviction carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

Investigator Kenneth MacMaster’s affidavit filed in court in support of the arrest says Manganella had last worked for the Bakers, who run a roofing company, about 2 1/2 months ago, and that Manganella stopped by a month ago looking for work.

“When asked, Baker said to the best of his knowledge, Manganella is not upset with him,” MacMaster wrote.

MacMaster interviewed a number of neighbors of the Bakers, and many described seeing a thin, shirtless, very tanned man walking in the area just prior to the fire. One neighbor said she spoke with the man who was accompanied by a Doberman, which is the Bakers’ dog. Others said the man wore a duffel bag like a backpack and carried a pick ax.

Eric Baker told MacMaster that the dog had been locked in the camper trailer prior to the family going to visit Baker’s mother’s home in Pittston and to watch fireworks.

On the day of the fire, Baker said he and the family were at the trailer last at about 10:40 a.m. to pick up a load of scrap copper.

Baker said his pick ax and a large Estwing ax would have been leaning against the outside of the home near the door. MacMaster said he searched the area but failed to find any remnants of burned axes.

MacMaster said that he concluded “the camper would have had to have been forcibly entered to allow for the Doberman dog to escape the fire.”

The camper-trailer, which was not insured, had no electricity except that provided by a generator, and there was no gasoline in the generator or in any cans, Baker said.

MacMaster said an Augusta woman told police that Manganella had come to her home about three hours after the fire carrying a pick ax and a bag he said was full of tools he wanted to sell. The woman said she asked Manganella why he smelled of smoke, and he told her he had a campfire. The woman said she found that odd on such a hot day.

Manganella left with the tools, and the woman later encountered Kristie Baker in a Gardiner store and was told of the fire and the theft of tools.

At MacMaster’s request, she called Manganella to say someone wanted to buy the tools, but Manganella seemed “out of it.” Later, she said he apparently was using drugs and wanted to “get out of town.”

MacMaster said several people selected Manganella’s photo from a lineup as the person they saw in the area just prior to the fire.

Attorney Stephen Bourget, representing Manganella as attorney for the day on Monday, told the judge that Manganella was employed hanging Sheetrock and that he wanted to get back to it so he could support his fiancée and four children. Bourget also said Manganella currently lives with his family in Augusta, not in Windsor as the complaint alleges. The affidavit says Manganella has been living out of a van which he parks in Augusta and Gardiner. Earlier on Monday, a press release from the Maine Department of Public Safety indicated Manganella is from Gardiner.

Marden said he would not ask Manganella to enter a plea because the charges were felonies and needed to be considered by a grand jury.

Manganella, who was seen on a television monitor in court, wore a short-sleeved, two-piece green jail uniform.

He said he had yet to get an attorney, but he had filled out an application for a court-appointed lawyer.

The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Tracy DeVoll, sought $5,000 cash bail with conditions.

Bourget asked for $500 bail with a Maine Pretrial Services supervisory contract.

DeVoll said that was too low, adding, “It does not reflect the seriousness of the charges.”

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

SKOWHEGAN — A Shell service station attendant was struck and knocked to the ground in a strong-arm robbery early Monday on Madison Avenue, two weeks after another man was arrested for attempted armed robbery in town.

Skowhegan police Detective Sgt. Josh King said Monday’s robber took an undisclosed amount of cash from the Dead River Co. gas station at 124 Madison Ave. just before 6:20 a.m. Monday.

The employee, whose name King did not release, was taken by private vehicle to the hospital to be checked out, he said.

“We believe he was hit with something, but not a gun or a knife,” King said.

On June 28, a Skowhegan man was arrested a day after an employee of Stony Brook Market on U.S. Route 2 saw him outside wearing a mask and hooded sweatshirt, became suspicious, locked him out of the store, then called police.

In Monday’s robbery, the employee was alone, and the robber, a man dressed in a blue plaid shirt and wearing blue jeans, knocked the employee to the floor so he didn’t get a good idea of the robber’s height or weight.

King said a canvass of the area around the service station and Whit’s End Restaurant across the street was being conducted Monday to determine if anyone saw anything early Monday morning.

Melony Thomas, who replaced the worker who was assaulted at the station, said the robbery happened just before the store was to open at 7 a.m.

“We opened a little late,” she said. “They didn’t give us a lot of details on what happened.”

Store manager Tim Murray referred all questions to Dead River officials in Portland.

Lisa Morrissette, director of marketing at Dead River Co. in Portland, said only that the robber entered the service station and assaulted the employee. She referred all other questions to Skowhegan police.

There were no further details on the robbery Monday afternoon.

On June 28, Joshua Jason Johnson, 28, of Skowhegan, was arrested on charges of criminal attempted robbery, a Class C felony, and criminal attempted theft, a misdemeanor, after he was seen outside of Stony Brook Market wearing a mask and hooded sweatshirt and approaching the store about 8 p.m. The clerk, aware the man was concealing his face, locked the door “out of fear she was going to be robbed,” Police Chief Don Bolduc said at the time.

King said that Johnson was arrested after interviews with witnesses and a tip from a Solon resident to a state trooper. Police said their interviews revealed Johnson had a toy gun that he intended to use in the robbery.

Johnson was released on $5,000 cash bail on Friday.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow

NORRIDGEWOCK — A local man is facing several charges after allegedly threatening several people, including a former girlfriend and children, with several knives on Martin Stream Road over the weekend, police said.

Police said they are considering alcohol and former domestic relations as factors after Noah Weeks, 32, allegedly told those involved Sunday that he would cut them up and kill them, and then struck the side of a vehicle with a large knife described as either a machete or sword.

The press release Monday from Chief Deputy James Ross of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, said Weeks then smashed the rear window out of a woman’s car by throwing the knives through it and assaulted a man at the residence by punching him several times.

Weeks is charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, criminal threatening, criminal mischief and assault.

Police were notified of the disturbance at around 8:30 p.m., and Weeks fled the scene on foot just before their arrival, the release said. Five officers from the sheriff’s office and Maine State Police were called to the scene along with a police dog, Draco.

The dog found Weeks at a residence on Mechanic Street, where he was taken into custody without incident and taken to the Somerset County Jail.

The investigation remains open.

IN ATHENS, Monday at 2:21 a.m., a structure fire was extinguished on Harmony Road.

IN BINGHAM, Sunday at 7:11 p.m., a report of suspicious activity was investigated on Bingham Road.

IN CARTHAGE, Sunday at 2:05 a.m., assault was reported on Winter Hill Road.

IN FAIRFIELD, Sunday at 12:08 a.m., an arrest was reported on Main Street.

10:55 a.m., a shots fired complaint was investigated on Howe Road.

12:41 p.m., a report of mischief was investigated on Center Road.

7:18 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Skowhegan Road.

7:50 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Main Street.

9 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Water Street.

10:20 p.m., trespassing was reported on Island Park.

Monday at 1:46 a.m., threatening was reported on Crane Drive.

2:15 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on High Street.

IN FARMINGTON, Sunday at 1:01 p.m., threatening was reported on Evergreen Lane.

IN HARMONY, Sunday at 7:54 p.m., a report of theft led to an arrest on Wellington Road.

7:56 p.m., trespassing was reported on Wellington Road.

IN HARTLAND, Sunday at 2:15 p.m., a report of suspicious activity was investigated on Great Moose Drive.

Monday at 4:31 a.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on Moore Street.

6:03 a.m., a report of disturbance was investigated on Moore Street.

IN JACKMAN, Monday at 8:08 a.m., threatening was reported on Heald Stream Road.

IN MADISON, Sunday at 10:28 a.m., a report of a domestic disturbance led to a warning issued on Benjamin Way.

IN NORRIDGEWOCK, Sunday at 5:41 p.m., a report of theft led to an arrest on Sandy River Road.

8:29 p.m., an assault was reported on Martin Stream Road.

8:29 p.m., a report of disturbance led to an arrest on Martin Stream Road.

8:47 p.m., assault was reported on Martin Stream Road.

Monday at 8:32 a.m., trespassing was reported on Walker Road.

IN PITTSFIELD, Sunday at 2:06 a.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on Waverly Street.

12:20 p.m., a report of a domestic disturbance was investigated on Pittsfield Street.

8:05 p.m., a report of assault led to an arrest on Bates Street.

IN SKOWHEGAN, Sunday at 12:03 a.m., a report of loud noise or music was investigated on West Front Street.

1:40 a.m., a report of loud noise or music led to an arrest on West Front Street.

7:56 a.m., a report of trespassing was investigated on Madison Avenue.

9:06 a.m., a report of disturbance was investigated on North Avenue.

9:39 a.m., a report of theft was investigated on Winter Street.

10:40 a.m., a harassment complaint was investigated with no address listed.

10:59 a.m., threatening was reported on Norton Lane.

1:02 p.m., a report of shoplifting led to an arrest on Water Street.

1:12 p.m., a report of theft was investigated on Madison Avenue.

2:12 p.m., trespassing was reported on Lynn’s Way.

3:41 p.m., trespassing was reported on Mount Pleasant Avenue.

Monday at 6:18 a.m., a robbery was reported on Madison Avenue.

IN SOLON, Sunday at 12:44 p.m., police could not locate an intoxicated person reported on South Main Street.

2:32 p.m., a report of suspicious activity was investigated on South Main Street.

9:28 p.m., disturbance was reported on South Main Street.

IN WATERVILLE, Sunday at 8 a.m., a report of theft was investigated on Park Street.

11:33 a.m., theft was reported on May Street.

12:46 p.m., harassment was reported on May Street.

3:00 p.m., theft was reported on Main Street.

3:14 p.m., threatening was reported on Elm Street.

5:55 p.m., a report of criminal mischief was investigated on Elm Street.

9:35 p.m., an arrest was made on Colby Street.

10:49 p.m., a report of assault was investigated on Water Street.

Monday at 3:39 a.m., a warrant arrest was made on Colby Street.

IN WINSLOW, Sunday at 7:55 p.m., a report of suspicious activity was investigated on Halifax Street.

8:28 p.m., juvenile offenses were reported on Monument Street.

9:13 p.m., a report of a fire was investigated on South Reynolds Road.

ARRESTS

IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, Sunday at 7:20 p.m., Darlene Chapman, 63, of Farmington, was arrested on charges of operating under the influence (alcohol) with one prior and motor vehicle speeding 30-plus mph over the speed limit.

IN SOMERSET COUNTY, Sunday at 2:16 a.m., Cody Alexander Swanson, 23, of Skowhegan, was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct.

9:30 p.m., Don Michael James, 40, of Pittsfield, was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault.

11:34 p.m., Noah Ross Weeks, 32, of Norridgewock, was arrested on charges of domestic violence criminal threatening, criminal mischief, assault and criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon.

Monday at 8:23 a.m., George Paul Chesley, 46, of Norridgewock, was arrested on a probation violation.

IN WATERVILLE, Sunday at 9:40 p.m., Meagan Hasson, 31, a transient, was arrested on a charge of violation of protection order on two counts.

Monday at 4:00 a.m., Richard Coderre, 31, of Waterville, was arrested on two warrants.

4:00 a.m., Kerri Coderre, 33, of Waterville, was arrested on a warrant.

Jury selection will begin Aug. 22 in Bangor in the murder trial of Robert Burton, the Abbot man accused of killing his former girlfriend in June 2015 and taking police on the longest manhunt in state history before turning himself in.

The trial was moved to Penobscot County from Piscataquis County because of pre-trial publicity, Jeffrey Toothaker, Burton’s attorney, said Monday.

“Hopefully it will be easier to select a jury,” he said. He said the change was agreed upon by himself, Assistant Attorney General John Alsop and Judge Robert Mullen. Alsop would not discuss the case Monday.

Burton, 39, pleaded not guilty in December in the shooting death of Stephanie Ginn Gebo in Parkman. He was indicted by a Piscataquis County grand jury in October. Burton also entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Burton is a convicted felon and is not allowed to have a gun.

Earlier proceedings were in Piscataquis County Superior Court in Dover-Foxcroft, but the trial will be in the Penobscot County Superior Court on Exchange Street in Bangor.

Toothaker declined to comment further on the case Monday, saying only that Burton has not changed his plea and that the case will proceed to trial.

Ginn Gebo was a 37-year-old single mother of a 13-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy when she was shot to death with a pistol in her bedroom on Kulas Road in Parkman on June 5, 2015. She had broken up with Burton a week earlier and was so afraid of him that she had changed the house locks and slept with a handgun under her pillow, police said.

According to a court affidavit, police found four shell casings from a 9 mm handgun and an open window in the bedroom where Ginn Gebo’s body was found. Medical Examiner Margaret Greenwald, who conducted the autopsy on Ginn Gebo on June 7, 2015, found multiple gunshot wounds to the lungs, spinal area and trachea and determined the death was a homicide.

Piscataquis County Sheriff John Goggin told WVII TV in July 2015 that Burton was wounded by Ginn Gebo before he turned the gun on her. Internet links to that interview have since been taken down.

“As he was climbing through the window that night, his would-be victim had a handgun and she shot at him,” Goggin said in the interview with the Bangor TV station. “He wasn’t armed at that time. She wounded him slightly, they got in a tussle over the gun and he just lost it. He got the gun away from her and he shot her and he killed her.”

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Marchese said later that she wouldn’t confirm the accuracy of what Goggin had said in the interview.

Ginn Gebo was killed the day after Burton’s probation had ended on a domestic violence conviction that sent him to prison for 10 years. Her children told police that Burton had lived with them at 46 Kulas Road in Parkman for about two years, and that he had moved out May 31, 2015, to live with his parents in Abbot.

Ginn Gebo told her son “she was afraid Robert would hurt” the children and that Burton was “an angry person.”

Ginn Gebo’s daughter told police Burton was “always angry” and that he accused her mother of cheating on him.

She was last seen alive when she tucked her daughter and son into bed around 8:30 p.m. the night of June 4, 2015, according to police affidavits.

When her daughter left her second-floor bedroom and went downstairs at 6:15 the morning of June 5, she saw her mother lying on the floor face down in a pool of blood and with holes in her back. Ginn Gebo, unresponsive in her first-floor bedroom, had suffered several gunshot wounds and had been tied up with duct tape.

The girl got her brother out of bed, then called 911. As she was calling, she saw a camouflage backpack and jacket outside that she recognized as Burton’s. Inside the backpack police said they later found a knife, duct tape and medication in bottles prescribed to Burton. Police said they also found Burton’s cellphone in the jacket.

So began the two-month saga that ended when Burton, on the run from authorities and believed to be living in the woods, gave himself up at the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department.

He was on the run for 68 days before turning himself in Aug. 11.

The charge against Burton — intentional or knowing murder — is a Class A felony punishable by 25 years to life in prison. Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person is a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow

AUGUSTA — A judge on Monday set bail for two of the people arrested on drug trafficking charges in Winthrop last week.

Michelle St. Laurent, 28, of Winthrop, and Tyrone Steve Lindsay, 20, of Waterbury, Connecticut, spent the weekend at the Kennebec County jail following their arrests Friday afternoon on charges of aggravated trafficking in heroin and unlawful trafficking in heroin.

Justice Donald Marden set bail for St. Laurent at $5,000 cash, the amount requested by the prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General Katie Sibley, with conditions that include a curfew for St. Laurent of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

When St. Laurent was first arrested, she was held without bail.

Sibley told the judge that St. Laurent had been out on bail on an earlier charge for unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.

“Most importantly, your honor, this is a very serious case,” Sibley said, adding that Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigators located 139 individual bags of heroin at St. Laurent’s home on Mt. Pisgah Road. Sibley said that is likely to result in 14 grams of pure heroin.

An aggravated trafficking conviction carries a minimum mandatory sentence of four years in prison.

A condition of the bail on the newer charges prohibits her from contact with Lindsay, a co-defendant.

“Miss St. Laurent appears to have legitimate, non-drug ties to the area,” Sibley said.

Marden asked whether a sale had occurred.

“The state was targeting a separate individual,” Sibley said. “St. Laurent answered the door, and the transaction occurred inside the residence.”

Marden set bail for Lindsay at $15,000, the amount requested by Sibley, with conditions that prohibit him from leaving Maine.

Stephen Bourget, serving as attorney for the day, objected, telling the judge, “I don’t see any reason why his bail should be any different.”

“The largest reason is Mr. Lindsay has no ties to the state,” Sibley said. She said the heroin was found in or around his belongings at St. Laurent’s.

Sibley characterized Lindsay as “an absolute flight risk in this circumstance” and added, “The state has no faith he will return” to face the charge. Sibley also said Lindsay had no prior criminal history.

Bourget said Lindsay had been at a friend’s house and “contends he had nothing to do with these drugs.”

Two other men also were charged.

Daniel Ackerley, 30, of Winthrop, remained in the Kennebec County jail on Monday in lieu of $500 bail and a Maine Pretrial Services contract. He was arrested Thursday and had an initial hearing on Friday.

Frederic Werner, 59, of Winthrop, was charged with trafficking in heroin and was free on $2,500 unsecured bail. He was not jailed, and his name was not mentioned in the affidavits for St. Laurent and Lindsay.

According to an affidavit by Maine Drug Enforcement Agent Nathan Walker, an undercover agent sought to purchase a gram of heroin for $200 from Ackerley on July 7. Ackerley then went to St. Laurent’s home, followed by Walker, and went inside for five minutes.

The undercover agent then met Ackerley in the Hannaford Bros. parking lot in Winthrop. “Ackerley handed the (undercover agent) an off-white powder wrapped in tin foil,” according to the affidavit. The substance tested as heroin.

Ackerley was arrested at that time, and a search warrant prepared for St. Laurent’s home, Walker wrote. During the search on Friday, police reported finding 139 bags weighing 76 grams as well as $2,158 in cash.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

AUGUSTA

Sunday at 9:19 a.m., fraud was reported on Church Hill Road.

1:00 p.m., a mental health and well-being check was reported on Capitol Street.

1:58 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Western Avenue.

3:32 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Western Avenue.

5:53 p.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Water Street.

6:05 p.m., a mental health and well-being check was performed on Northern Avenue.

8:24 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Northern Avenue.

8:26 p.m., criminal trespass was reported on Learners Drive and Arsenal Street.

8:26 p.m., criminal trespass was reported on Arsenal Street.

8:28 p.m., criminal trespass was reported on East Chestnut Street.

10:00 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Eastern Avenue.

10:36 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Townsend Road.

11:44 p.m., a well-being check was performed on Water Street.

11:52 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Keith Way.

Monday at 5:43 a.m., disorderly conduct was reported on Green Street.

5:45 a.m., a disturbance was reported on Green Street.

6:39 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Green Street and Sewall Street.

FARMINGDALE

Saturday at 11:45 p.m., a well-being check was performed on Hill Street.

GARDINER

Friday at 6:59 p.m., harassment was reported on Kingsbury Court.

Saturday at 5:23 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Spruce Street.

Sunday at 12:39 p.m., a well-being check was performed on Alexandra Drive.

8:37 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Spruce Street.

HALLOWELL

Sunday at 9:50 p.m., property was recovered on Winthrop Street.

2:37 p.m., a well-being check was performed on Litchfield Road.

MONMOUTH

Friday at 10 p.m., a well-being check was performed on Sanborn Road.

Saturday at 9:46 a.m., a well-being check was performed on Sanborn Road.

SIDNEY

Sunday at 11:21 a.m., trespass was reported on Summer Haven Road.

WINTHROP

Monday at 5:15 a.m., harassment was reported on U.S. Route 202.

ARRESTS

AUGUSTA

Sunday at 3:12 p.m., Robert Warnock, 54, of Augusta, was arrested on a charge of operating under the influence of alcohol after a traffic accident was reported on Second Avenue.

8:14 p.m., James E. Crudden Jr., 34, of Columbus, New Jersey, was arrested on a charge of operating under the influence of alcohol after a traffic stop was performed on Western Avenue and Chapel Street.

Maine State Police have arrested an Augusta man on theft charges after a truck that had been reported missing at a West Gardiner home turned up damaged near a Wal-Mart in Brunswick.

Police charged the man, 24-year-old Carl “CJ” Jackson, with theft by unauthorized use of property and criminal mischief. Those may be increased to felony charges because of the value of the truck that was damaged, according to a post on the Maine State Police Facebook page.

A security camera at the Wal-Mart took a picture of Jackson as he was entering the store, and police connected him to the incident after sharing that image on Facebook last week.

Several state troopers gathered evidence from where the vehicle was left in Brunswick, police said, and “The man was identified with help from the public on Facebook.”

The vehicle originally went missing from the West Gardiner home on June 29, police said.

WATERVILLE — A Waterville man was arrested Monday evening after he allegedly crashed his motorcycle while driving drunk and then fled from responders, police said.

Steven P. Betzer, 59, of Waterville, was arrested on charges of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident and operating under the influence of alcohol.

After leaving the American Legion on College Avenue, Betzer dumped his motorcycle on the side of the road while waiting at the light down the street at 5:24 p.m., said Deputy Chief Bill Bonney of the Waterville Police Department.

Rescue-fire personnel who saw the single-vehicle crash happen went to assist Betzer, Bonney said, but he picked up his motorcycle and took off. Suspecting intoxication, the fire personnel called the police department.

Officer Kyle McDonald responded and stopped Betzer on Pearl Street. Betzer was found to have a blood alcohol content level of 0.11 percent, according to Bonney. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.

Betzer was also found to have minimal injuries, such as scrapes and bruises, Bonney said.

Betzer was released at the police station on bail. He is scheduled to appear at Waterville District Court on Sept. 6.

Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239

mstamour@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @madelinestamour

AUGUSTA — A former city woman will serve an initial four months in jail for welfare fraud involving almost $23,000 in state benefits over a 33-month period.

Nina Maraglia, 37, formerly of Augusta and now of Norridgewock, had the remainder of the two-year sentence suspended and was placed on two years’ probation.

The sentence was imposed Tuesday at a hearing at the Capital Judicial Center, and Judge Paul Mathews agreed to a stay, which allows Maraglia to report to jail on Monday.

She had pleaded guilty May 10 to a charge of theft by deception.

The indictment said Maraglia stole more than $10,000 in food stamps, emergency assistance and MaineCare program benefits between June 2010 and March 2013, and failed to disclose that she was working and earning income at the time.

Assistant Attorney General Darcy Mitchell told the judge part of the jointly recommended sentence involves an order for Maraglia to pay $22,973.85 restitution to the Department of Health and Human Services at a rate to be determined by her probation officer.

In exchange for the guilty plea, a charge of unsworn falsification dated Oct. 19, 2012, was dismissed.

Maraglia was represented by attorney La-Qiana Perez-Saxon.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

IN ATHENS, Monday at 2:21 a.m., a structure fire was extinguished on Harmony Road.

IN BINGHAM, Monday at 2:07 p.m., a robbery was investigated on Melcher Drive.

IN CANAAN, Monday at 10:24 a.m., a disturbance was investigated on Fitzsimmons Road.

7:10 p.m., a domestic disturbance was investigated on Hill Road.

7:18 p.m., a harassment complaint was investigated on Browns Corner Road.

IN CLINTON, Monday at 6:13 p.m., criminal mischief was reported at Galusha’s Too on Main Street.

6:14 p.m., fraud or forgery was reported on McNally Road.

IN FAIRFIELD, Monday at 1:46 a.m., threatening was reported on Crane Drive.

8:38 p.m., a shots fired complaint was investigated on Ohio Hill Road.

IN FARMINGTON, Monday at 9:02 a.m., vandalism was reported on Maple Avenue.

12:10 p.m., a disturbance was reported at Verizon Wireless on Main Street.

3:21 p.m., threatening was reported on Wilton Road.

IN HARTLAND, Monday at 4:31 a.m., a domestic disturbance was reported on Moore Street.

6:03 a.m., a disturbance was investigated on Moore Street.

IN JACKMAN, Monday at 8:08 a.m., threatening was reported on Heald Stream Road.

IN LEXINGTON, Monday at 5 p.m., trespassing was reported on Long Falls Dam Road.

IN MADISON, Monday at 5:45 p.m., a scam complaint was investigated on Summer Street.

IN NORRIDGEWOCK, Monday at 8:32 a.m., trespassing was investigated on Walker Road.

4:22 p.m., an assault was reported on Martin Stream Road.

5:57 p.m., a scam complaint was investigated on Martin Stream Road.

9:47 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Martin Stream Road.

IN PHILLIPS, Monday at 11:42 a.m., a burglary was reported on Dodge Road.

IN PITTSFIELD, Monday at 1:55 p.m., a structure fire was extinguished on Madawaska Avenue.

IN RANGELEY, Monday at 10:06 a.m., a theft or fraud was reported on Main Street.

IN RIPLEY, Monday at 12:55 p.m., a theft was investigated on North Road.

IN SKOWHEGAN, Monday at 6:18 a.m., a robbery was investigated on Madison Avenue.

9:02 a.m., a theft was investigated on North Avenue.

2:23 p.m., a harassment complaint was taken on Fairview Avenue.

3:37 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Jewett Street.

5:23 p.m., a disturbance was reported on Main Street. Arrests were made.

IN TEMPLE, Monday at 7:24 a.m., a theft or fraud was reported on Day Mountain Road.

IN WATERVILLE, Monday at 8:31 a.m., a domestic dispute was investigated at the Countryside Trailer Park Lot on Victoria Drive.

12:51 p.m., a drug offense was reported at the intersection of Park and Elm streets. Suspect was gone on arrival.

3:56 p.m., shoplifting was reported at Marden’s Store and Grill on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

4:22 p.m., harassment was reported on Sanger Avenue.

4:25 p.m., threatening was investigated at the Waterville Police Department.

5:19 p.m., harassment was reported on Boutelle Avenue.

5:40 p.m., shoplifting was investigated at the Wal-Mart in Waterville Commons.

6:34 p.m., a drug offense was reported on Morrison Avenue.

8:07 p.m., a theft was investigated on Gray Street.

8:28 p.m., threatening was investigated at the Head of Falls on Front Street.

9:38 p.m., criminal mischief was investigated on Pleasant Street.

11:32 p.m., a domestic dispute was reported on Victoria Drive. Peace was restored.

11:39 p.m., a domestic dispute was reported on Summer Street. Arrests were made.

Tuesday at 3:35 a.m., a theft was investigated on Elm Street.

IN WILTON, Monday at 2:54 p.m., trespassing was reported on Birch Street.

3:19 p.m., threatening was reported on Village View Street.

IN WINSLOW, Monday at 2:16 p.m., a disturbance was reported on China Lane.

7:27 p.m., harassment was reported on Halifax Street.

9:37 p.m., a theft was investigated on Quimby Lane.

ARRESTS

IN SOMERSET COUNTY, Monday at 8:23 a.m, George Paul Chesley, 47, of Norridgewock, was arrested on a charge of violating probation.

7:13 p.m., Mariah Leanne Cyr, 21, of Norridgewock, was arrested on a warrant.

9:05 p.m., Karl M. Bechtel, 38, of Solon, was arrested on a charge of operating a vehicle under the influence.

IN WATERVILLE, Monday at 5:50 p.m., Steven P. Betzer, 60, of Waterville, was arrested on charges of criminally operating a vehicle under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident.

11 p.m., Timothy Stanton, 35, of Vassalboro, was arrested on a charge of violating a condition of release.

Tuesday at 12:17 a.m., Renee Jurdak, of Waterville, was arrested on a charge of domestic violence assault.

The Lexington trespassing complaint in this article has been corrected, as well as the year in the summary for this police log.

A man wearing a motorcycle helmet and armed with a black semiautomatic handgun robbed another man at gunpoint inside his home Monday on Melcher Drive in Bingham, police said.

The victim waited four hours before calling police because that’s what the robber told him to do, Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said Tuesday. The robbery reportedly happened about 10 a.m. Monday and the victim called police at 2 p.m., Lancaster said, adding “you could infer that harm might come to you” if the robber’s instructions weren’t followed.

The victim told police he answered a knock on his front door Monday morning and was confronted by a heavyset man, approximately 6 feet, 4 inches tall, wearing a motorcycle helmet with a dark visor down and a black leather jacket.

The robber showed a handgun and ordered the man to empty his pockets and stole the money from the victim’s wallet, Lancaster said. The robber then entered the house and reportedly took an undisclosed amount of cash and pills before leaving on foot.

“The suspect told the victim to wait four hours before calling anyone,” the sheriff said.

Lancaster would not say what drugs were taken in the robbery and would not comment if he thought the men knew each other.

“We’re early into the investigation,” Lancaster said. “We’ve asked the public for help if they saw anyone fitting that description in the area at that time, and we’re also looking into relationships for possible suspects.”

The robbery was the third in the past two weeks reported to the sheriff’s office.

In Skowhegan on Monday, a Shell service station attendant was struck and knocked to the ground in a strong-arm robbery on Madison Avenue. That robber took an undisclosed amount of cash from the Dead River Co. gas station at 124 Madison Ave. just before 6:20 a.m. Monday. The station attendant was struck with an object and taken to a local hospital by private vehicle.

Lancaster said police are investigating any similarities between the gas station robbery and the Bingham robbery.

On June 28, a Skowhegan man was arrested a day after an employee of Stony Brook Market on U.S. Route 2 saw him approaching the store about 8 p.m. wearing a mask and hooded sweatshirt, became suspicious, locked him out of the store, then called police. Joshua Jason Johnson, 28, of Skowhegan, was arrested on charges of criminal attempted robbery, a Class C felony, and criminal attempted theft, a misdemeanor.

Detective Michael Ross responded and is the lead investigator on the Bingham case.

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office asked that anyone with information regarding the Bingham robbery to call the Detective Division or Detective Michael Ross at 207-858-9530.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow

AUGUSTA

Monday at 8:16 a.m., a 27-year-old Albion man was issued a summons on Civic Center Drive charging him with possession of marijuana.

12:50 p.m., a Shuman Drive caller reported a theft.

3:42 p.m., a Court Street caller reported fraud.

4:59 p.m., an unnamed person was charged with shoplifting at a Civic Center Drive location.

5:48 p.m., a Hospital Street caller reported a disturbance/disorderly conduct.

7:38 p.m., a disturbance/disorderly conduct was reported at Riverside Drive and Elm Avenue.

9:34 p.m., a 19-year-old Sidney man was issued summonses on Union Street charging him with being a minor having false identification, being a minor purchasing liquor and violating condition of release.

11:19 p.m., a caller from Townsend Road reported criminal mischief.

Tuesday at 3:17 a.m., an unnamed person was charged after an incident at Medical Center Parkway

DRESDEN

July 5, Lawrence E. Chambers 43, of Dresden was arrested on Orchard Hill Road on a charge of domestic violence assault.

Sunday, Herbert W. Ring, 47, of Dresden was arrested on Gardiner Road on charges of aggravated assault and violating condition of release.

JEFFERSON

July 6, a 2002 International Harvester flatbed, dump-body lumber delivery truck struck a utility line and rolled over onto its passenger side on Bunker Hill Road. A news release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said Galen F. Hisler Jr., 23, of Windsor, “failed to disengage the power takeoff for the dump bed, and as the truck was in motion, the bed raised and struck a utility line.”

WHITEFIELD

Friday a 15-year-old boy from Whitefield was issued a summons charging him with criminal mischief and trespass by motor vehicle for causing damage June 23, 2016, to the Whitefield School baseball field and a private resident’s field.

Police on Tuesday were preparing search warrants to extract DNA from a vehicle they believe was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Anson that sent a husband and wife to separate hospitals.

Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said Alex and Jessica Conant of Anson were walking on the side of the road when they were struck by a silver, midsize sport utility vehicle. The accident happened just after midnight Tuesday morning at the intersection of U.S. Route 201A and Preble Avenue in Anson.

Alex Conant, 39, is being treated at Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan for injuries that are not considered life-threatening. Jessica Conant, 36, was taken by Lifeflight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor because of more serious injuries that were also not considered life-threatening, according to Lancaster.

A spokesman at EMMC did not immediately return a call on Conant’s condition Tuesday afternoon.

Deputies were able to locate a 2005 Ford Escape in Madison that they believe was the one involved in the crash based on descriptions by the Conants. The vehicle was towed and impounded at the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office in East Madison.

“This is an ongoing investigation,” Lancaster said. “We’re finishing up on the search warrant at this time and looking for transferral evidence from the vehicle — DNA evidence. We are interviewing witnesses and possible suspects.”

The crash scene was reconstructed with the assistance of the Maine State Police. Deputy Toby Blodgett is the primary investigator in the case. AMS Ambulance and the Anson Fire Department also responded and assisted at the scene.

No arrests or charges had been filed by Tuesday afternoon.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow

Michael Boucher claims due process denied in May 2014

AUGUSTA — Convicted killer Michael M. Boucher Sr. lost his bid for parole and for a new parole hearing in a decision issued Thursday by a judge in Kennebec County.

Boucher, 65, was convicted in 1991 of the slaying of 18-year-old Debra Dill in Litchfield that occurred in 1973.

Boucher was sentenced to life in prison with parole in contrast to sentences today, which frequently are life without parole for those convicted of murder.

Boucher had contended that his rights were violated in connection with his May 2014 parole hearing, according to court documents filed by attorney Scott Hess. The parole board at that hearing denied Boucher’s parole request and indicated he could file a new request in five years.

Vicki Dill of West Gardiner, Debra Dill’s sister, attends the public portion of Boucher’s parole hearings with other members of her family and argues against letting Boucher out on parole.

She got the news about the denial Tuesday in a phone call from a victim/witness advocate in the Office of the Attorney General.

“It was sheer elation today,” Dill said. She said her mother, Janice Kelman of Gardiner, was elated too when she got the call. “It was a long wait,” Vicki Dill said. “We were all asking the same questions and checking with the advocate office frequently.”

Through a post conviction process, Boucher asked Justice Robert Mullen to order him paroled or to order a new parole hearing before a different panel. Boucher said he was not told he could have the proceeding recorded or have a spokesperson represent him, that a board member inappropriately asked him whether he would waive his right to future parole hearings to spare grief for Dill’s family, and that he’s been treated differently than others seeking parole.

Mullen refused the request, saying the parole board had “more than sufficient evidence” to support the decision.

“The petitioner has been incarcerated for 28 years for a crime he committed when he was 23 years old,” Mullen wrote. “(Boucher) was not arrested for the murder committed in 1973 until 15 years had passed, during which time (Boucher) committed multiple serious assaults against other women.”

Mullen acknowledged that Boucher “made some positive strides,” but added, “it is impossible to overstate the grisly nature of the underlying offense or for the undersigned to take the parole board to task for denying (Boucher) parole.”

The state, represented by Assistant Attorney General Donald Macomber, argued that Boucher “failed to carry his burden of proof” and the parole board’s decision should stand.

Macomber listed the reasons for denial, citing the “inadequacy of Boucher’s proposed release plan” as well as an incident at the Downeast Correctional Facility in Machiasport several months before the hearing where “Boucher admitted that he put a padlock in a sock and went into another inmate’s cell” as well as “significant family and community sentiment against Boucher’s request for relief.”

“We are very pleased with the court’s decision,” Macomber said via email on Tuesday. “This process has been very painful for the Dill family, and we hope this provides a small measure of comfort, at least until Mr. Boucher’s next parole hearing in a few years.”

Debra Dill would be 61 if she were alive today. Her body was found in the woods off Whippoorwill Road in Litchfield. Testimony at the trial indicated Boucher strangled her with his hands and beat her with a hammer after reportedly targeting her at random and then hitting her car with his vehicle in hopes of getting her to stop.

The murder case was featured in a program on the Discovery Channel in April of this year.

In May 2011, Boucher wrote to the Dill family apologizing for the murder and asking for forgiveness.

“I was a selfish coward and did not care about anyone or anything,” Boucher wrote. “I blamed all my problems on my drug and alcohol use, when in fact that was not the problem. I was the problem.”

In documents filed with the court April 1, 2016, Hess said the padlock incident at Downeast Correctional Facility occurred when Boucher was “forced to defend himself from another inmate who assaulted him.” That incident resulted in Boucher’s transfer to maximum security Maine State Prison. Hess said Boucher was not disciplined for the incident and had no disciplinary write-ups since 1997.

Hess asked the judge to vacate the parole board’s decision and “remand the matter with instruction to grant (Boucher) parole” or order a new parole hearing before a different panel.

In an email sent Tuesday, Hess said, “As outlined in the order, the judge determined that there either were no violations or that any violations did not prejudice Mr. Boucher. I will be speaking with Mr. Boucher to discuss his option to appeal the decision to the Maine Supreme Court.”

Boucher is eligible to seek parole again in 2019.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

AUGUSTA — When the hammering stops at 15 Darin Drive, a new noise will replace it.

As part of its third expansion since 2007, J.S. McCarthy Printers is expecting to install machinery that will make sheets of paper from giant paper rolls, making the process more efficient for the Augusta-based commercial printer.

“Currently, we buy sheets from suppliers,” Rick Tardiff, company president and chief executive officer, said Tuesday. “We’re going to bring that in-house for efficiency and saving money.”

As it stands, a paper producer like Sappi North America would send rolls of its paper from Hinckley down to a facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to be cut into sheets so it could be sold and delivered to commercial printers, Tardiff said.

“Now we’ll be able to control that in-house,” he said.

This is the company’s third expansion in just under a decade. All the projects are aimed at preserving the business.

“We’re growing in an industry that’s compressing,” Tardiff said, “so we’re going into a different piece of the business.”

The company sought a zone change in March from Augusta city officials for its expansion, which adds 14,400 square feet on to its existing building, and struck a tax increment financing deal in April. Under the deal, the city and the company would each receive about $306,000.

“What it allows us to do is have more capital to invest in equipment and hiring. Basically, we’re in a very capital intensive business,” Tardiff said. “Any time we can get assistance through the city or the state, we take advantage of it.”

Generally speaking, TIFs allow company revenue to be shielded from valuation by the city or the state, preserves what Augusta receives from the state and doesn’t increase what it owes to county government.

The company’s major jobs are printing for colleges and universities and the greeting card industry and folding cartons or packaging for a range of products including packaged food.

“We also do digital mailing and distribution out of this facility,” Tardiff said.

The company is listed as No. 135 in the top 400 printers in the country and has annual sales of $36.5 million.

J.S. McCarthy was founded in Augusta in 1947. Tardiff bought the company in 2000 and in the last decade has invested about $20 million in new equipment, software and training for its employees. It has grown by acquiring printing companies both in Maine and in New England and keeping the sales and customer service staff in those locations.

“We bring all of the production back to Augusta because we have a very efficient operation here and we’re able to produce work at a lower cost,” he said.

Seventy percent of the company’s business comes from out of state.

“Any time we see investments in a company that increases the dollars coming into the local economy, that’s a win for the entire region, ” Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ross Cunningham said. “Those dollars stay here and get spent in the local economy.”

Cunningham said this move benefits the state economy in another way — J.S. McCarthy can source its paper from local mills.

“One of the challenges we face through the region is companies finding other locations that are more affordable to do business in,” he said. “They have proved they have commitment and faith in the region. It’s a corporation that believes in the Kennebec Valley and wants to continue to do business here.”

Jessica Lowell — 621-5632

jlowell@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @JLowellKJ

AUGUSTA

Tuesday at 8:12 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Eastern Avenue.

9:11 a.m., there was a traffic accident on Water Street.

9:11 a.m., there was a traffic accident on State and Union streets.

9:17 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on Albee Road.

9:24 a.m., criminal mischief was reported on Western Avenue.

10:15 a.m., a stray cat was reported on Old Winthrop Road.

11:18 a.m., a wild animal was reported on Glen Street.

12:31 p.m., there was a traffic accident on Swan Street.

1:31 p.m., theft was reported on North Street.

4:55 p.m., shoplifting was reported on Civic Center Drive.

5:09 p.m., police recovered property on Water Street.

5:18 p.m., criminal trespassing was reported on Medical Center Parkway.

5:25 p.m., counterfeiting was reported on Stephen King Drive.

7:25 p.m., criminal trespassing was reported on Civic Center Drive.

7:44 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Sparrow Drive.

8:29 p.m., criminal threatening was reported on Medical Center Parkway.

10:01 p.m., there was a traffic accident on Winter Street.

10:53 p.m., suspicious activity was reported on Riverside Drive.

Wednesday at 2:44 a.m., suspicious activity was reported on North Belfast Avenue.

5:36 a.m., drug offenses were reported on Medical Center Parkway.

BELGRADE

Tuesday at 9:06 a.m., theft was reported on Main Street.

GARDINER

Tuesday at 9:45 a.m., there was a traffic accident on Brunswick Avenue.

HALLOWELL

Tuesday at 8:42 a.m., criminal mischief was reported on Winthrop Street.

11:23 a.m., there was a traffic accident on Water Street.

LITCHFIELD

Tuesday at 11:03 a.m., there was a traffic accident on Route 126.

MONMOUTH

Tuesday at 2:31 p.m., theft was reported on Prescott Hill Road.

WINTHROP

Monday at 9:01 p.m., disorderly conduct was reported on U.S. Route 202.

Tuesday at 10:10 a.m., loitering was reported on Main Street.

11:20 a.m., loitering was reported on Main Street.

12:33 p.m., loitering was reported on Peck Farm Road.

2:54 p.m., indecent conduct was reported on Sherwood Forest Lane.

3:56 p.m., a family fight was reported on Main Street.

5:48 p.m., harassment was reported on Annabessacook Road.

Wednesday at 12:02 a.m., a suspicious person was reported on Main Street.

ARRESTS

AUGUSTA

Tuesday at 9:42 a.m., David C. Richards, 32, of Augusta, was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

1:05 p.m., Curtis Snyder, 24, of Augusta, was arrested on two outstanding warrants and on a charge of refusing to submit to arrest or detention.

1:12 p.m., Crystal L. Cherry, 26, of Augusta, was arrested on a charge of assault, on Spencer Street.

3:01 p.m., Ashley L. Wilson, 22, of Augusta, was arrested on a probation hold.

7:08 p.m., Logan M. Rackliffe, 32, of Whitefield, was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of drugs or a combination, operating after habitual offender revocation and violating condition of release.

9:14 p.m., Crystal L. Cherry, 26, of Augusta, was arrested on a charge of criminal mischief, on Spencer Street.

KENNEBEC COUNTY

Tuesday at 1:47 p.m., Christopher Eugene Harrison, 30, of Augusta, was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

Wednesday at 5:35 a.m., Katie Jean Robinson, 23, of Sidney, was arrested on a charge of violating condition of release, on U.S. Route 202 in Manchester.

WINTHROP

Tuesday at 4 p.m., Jeffrey C. Calden, 32, of Winthrop, was arrested on a probation hold, on Main Street.