Police rapes a child and gets 4 years-way to play the system?

Ex-Maine State Police chief pleads guilty to sex assault, will serve 4 years

Andrew Demers Jr. is sentenced to five years in prison, with the final year suspended, on a charge of unlawful sexual contact.

Former Maine State Police Chief Andrew Demers Jr. wipes tears from his eyes as a former police colleague testifies in the Cumberland County Courthouse on Tuesday, about how Demers’ actions, sexually assaulting a 4-year-old child, have tarnished the reputation of the police force. Scott Dolan/Staff Writer

One of the mostly highly decorated police officers in Maine’s history was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison for sexually assaulting a 4-year-old child.
Andrew Demers Jr., the former chief of the Maine State Police, broke down sobbing at one point during his sentencing hearing at the Cumberland County Courthouse, wiping tears from his eyes many times after he entered a guilty plea to a felony charge of unlawful sexual contact.

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Former Maine State Police Chief Andrew Demers Jr. wipes tears from his eyes as a former police colleague testifies in the Cumberland County Courthouse on Tuesday, about how Demers’ actions, sexually assaulting a 4-year-old child, have tarnished the reputation of the police force. Scott Dolan/Staff Writer

Superior Court Justice Thomas Warren sentenced Demers to five years, with the final year to be suspended while Demers serves a three-year probation term. The judge also ordered Demers to pay $5,000 restitution to pay for past and future counseling for the child.
Demers’ arrest on March 17 shocked the state’s law enforcement community, many of whom had considered him a model officer. Demers is the only officer in Maine history to be twice named the state police Trooper of the Year and was named Legendary Trooper in 2003. He served 26 years with the state police and held the department’s top position from 1987 to 1993, when he retired.
As Warren issued his sentence, he rejected a claim by Demers’ clinical psychologist that Demers’ actions were out of character and may have been a result of neurological damage from post-traumatic stress from decades of police service.
“Crimes like this come from a dark place within a person that are often buried deep within and unknown,” Warren said at the end of the three-hour hearing.
The courtroom was filled with Demers’ family members and supporters, many of whom spoke on his behalf or submitted letters attesting to his exemplary character.
At the side of the courtroom, the child’s parents sat silently near Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson, who prosecuted the case and asked for a sentence of eight years.
Before he was arrested, Demers admitted to investigators to assaulting the child multiple times.
State police first received a tip about the alleged crimes on March 10 and referred the matter to the district attorney, who asked the sheriff’s office to investigate.
Anderson said in her 34 years practicing criminal law, she has made thousands of sentencing recommendations, but found Demers’ case to be one of the hardest.
“This is not something I take lightly at all because Colonel Demers was my hero, too,” Anderson said. But later she added, “There is no evidence of diminished mental capacity. That’s why I say we have a child molester here.”
Anderson read emotional letters from the parents of the victim, although they did not stand to address the court themselves.
“He took my little girl’s innocence from us,” the child’s mother wrote in the statement.
Demers’ attorney, Walter McKee, argued that his 74-year-old client has already been punished seriously since his arrest, with a ruined reputation and the heartache his actions have brought on his family.
“Andy is, by every single account, the last person that anyone ever expected would be involved in an offense like this and this alone speaks volumes about who Andy is, as he has lived his life in a way that is the farthest cry from behavior at issue here than one can imagine,” McKee wrote. “There are also very real, significant concerns about Andy’s safety while incarcerated in the custody of the Department of Corrections.”
The judge rejected McKee’s request that Demers be allowed to serve a lesser sentence in the Cumberland County Jail instead of prison, but allowed him a one-week delay before beginning his sentence on Nov. 11.
Demers broke down sobbing as his adult granddaughter spoke at the hearing about how his actions have affected their family. He spoke through tears as he stood to address the court, pulling a handkerchief from his suit coat to wipe his eyes.
“Your Honor, since my arrest I have been torn and torn with shame,” Demers said.
He did not answer a reporter’s questions as he walked out of the courtroom afterward with family members.
Demers pleaded guilty as part of an agreement reached by McKee and Anderson in which a more serious Class A felony charge of gross sexual assault was dismissed. He could have faced up to 30 years on that charge.
The District Attorney’s Office and McKee arranged for Demers to turn himself in at the county jail.
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Wardens continue search for missing Waterboro teenager -missing kids

 

Wardens continue search for missing Waterboro teenager

The Maine Warden Service spent all day Friday searching Waterboro for a missing teenage boy but found no clues, the officer heading up the effort said Friday night as most of the search wound down after darkness fell.

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Led by Maine Game Warden Troy Thibodeau, EMTs, firefighters, game wardens and volunteers search for Jaden Dremsa along Route 5 in North Waterboro on Friday.

Gordon Chibroski / Staff Photographer

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Jaden Dremsa

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“We’ve had no sign of him,” said Lt. Kevin Adam, who noted that he had been up for 36 straight hours trying to find Jaden Dremsa, 15, before getting some rest late Friday.
On Friday, Adam said, 15 wardens and about 80 volunteers trekked through woods and walked country roads looking for Dremsa, who was last seen around 3 p.m. Thursday at the Twin Pines Trailer Park in North Waterboro. He had said he was going out for a walk.
Dremsa is 5-foot-9 and weighs about 140 pounds. He has shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes.
A helicopter from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a warden service plane searched from the air Friday, Adam said. He said ground searchers have intensively gone over an area about a mile out from the trailer park, and some searchers have gone farther looking for Dremsa, who has Asperger’s syndrome, a type of autism characterized by difficulty with social interaction and non-verbal communication.
Adam said Dremsa is considered high-functioning but is shy and timid, and he might not respond to his name if called.
The aerial search was suspended Friday afternoon when rain and low clouds moved in, Adam said. Their use Saturday will depend on the weather, and the forecast calls for rain and drizzle in the morning.
Adam said Dremsa was wearing only jeans and a shirt when he was last seen and there’s concern about exposure because of Friday’s lower temperatures and rain. Adam said he decided to keep search dogs working until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. Saturday because of that concern.
If they haven’t picked up a strong scent by early Saturday, Adam said, the dogs and handlers will rest for a few hours and then resume searching about 7 a.m. Saturday, when wardens and volunteers will also be out looking again.
Adam said wardens are also interviewing residents in the area in the hope of getting more clues to Dremsa’s whereabouts. A roadblock was set up on Route 5 in Waterboro on Friday to find out whether any drivers might have seen something that would help in locating the teenager.
Anyone with information concerning Dremsa is urged to contact the Maine State Police public safety dispatch center in Gray at 657-3030.

Fire damages apartment building in Auburn

 AUBURN — Tenants who lived at apartments at a Northern Avenue building were relocated Friday after fire swept through the attic, fire officials said.
The blaze started on the porch of the third floor at 37 Northern Ave. Heights, Fire Investigator David O'Connell said. Tenants used a plastic container that was next to a bag of trash to extinguish cigarettes. The fire likely was accidental, he said.
The fire worked its way into the building's attic, making its way into a sidewall. Firewalls had been built into the attic, slowing the fire's progress, O'Connell said. Firefighters cut a hole in the roof over the middle section and had access to the outside sections through an opening in the ceiling.
Fire, smoke and water damage was estimated at more than $100,000 for the 26-year-old building. The 24-unit building was insured, but none of the tenants had renters insurance.
Electrical and gas service were shut off to the building and likely won't be restored until the middle of next week at the earliest, O'Connell said.
The American Red Cross of Maine provided emergency shelter, food and clothing for roughly 25 displaced tenants. The nonprofit group also provides emotional support.
The blaze was called in shortly before 6:30 a.m. by a tenant in a building across the way, O'Connell said.
No injuries to tenants nor firefighters were reported.
Lewiston firefighters responded to the scene for mutual aid, helping local firefighters to battle the fire, which was brought under control within an hour.
"They did an amazing job stopping the fire," O'Connell said.
If confirmed that smoking materials caused the fire, this will mark the same cause for the third time this year in the city, O'Connell said. There were eight fires caused by smoking materials last year, he said.
"People need to make sure their smoking materials are extinguished" and disposed of properly in a metal or other nonflammable container, he said.

Truck driver, pilot blamed for fatal crash at Maine airport in 2012

Federal officials conclude their probe of the runway collision that killed three young men.
 Friday-
 The driver of a pickup truck and the pilot of a small plane that collided with the truck as it crossed a runway at the Knox County Regional Airport were both at fault in a crash that killed three young men in 2012, federal investigators concluded in a report released Friday.
The crash at the airport in Owls Head occurred shortly after sunset on Nov. 16, 2012. Stephen Turner, 63, of Camden was driving the truck across the runway and collided with the Cessna 172 single-engine plane as it was about to take off. The collision caused the plane to spin as it took flight, then nosedive about 2,000 feet away into a field next the airport, where it caught fire.
The pilot of the plane, William “B.J.” Hannigan, 24, of South Portland, and his two passengers – David Cheney, 22, of Beverly, Massachusetts, and Marcelo Rugini, 24, a foreign exchange student from Brazil – were killed.
Turner, a contract employee at the airport, told investigators that he radioed that he was crossing the runway and got no response. However, an investigation found that his radio was in the “off” position when it was examined after the crash.
Turner said he did not see the plane approach until it was too late to avoid the collision.
The final probable cause report issued Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that Turner “failed to verify that the runway was not occupied by an airplane before crossing.”
The NTSB also faulted Hannigan, for proceeding with takeoff after the collision.
“Although the airplane was close to or perhaps past liftoff speed, the pilot likely could have stopped the airplane on the remaining 3,600 feet of paved runway following impact with the vehicle,” the report says.
The crash sparked debate among pilots and aviation experts about safety procedures at small airports.
The regional airport in Owls Head has no tower or air traffic controller to tell pilots when to land or take off. Radio communication between people in aircraft and other vehicles is encouraged, but not required. The only real regulation of airport operations is by the pilots and airport employees.
The crash was the 16th at the airport in the last 40 years, and the fourth fatal crash, according to the NTSB.
Hannigan had logged about 17 hours of solo flying and four hours of night flying before the crash, the NTSB said.
He was an engineering graduate student at the University of Maine, a member of the Maine Air National Guard and a Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity brother.
Cheney also was a UMaine student and the president of the fraternity; Rugini was the fraternity’s education officer and a recent graduate.
In September, after almost a year of negotiating, the airport agreed to a nearly $4 million settlement for the victims’ families. The settlement was paid for largely by insurance companies representing Turner and the company he worked for, Penobscot Island Air. The settlement cleared Knox County, which manages the airport, of any liability.
Attempts to contact Hannigan’s family Friday were unsuccessful. Turner also could not be reached.
The crash prompted officials at the airport to make operational changes to improve safety, including requiring all airport vehicles to have beacon lights, recording all radio communications, and installing motion-activated cameras to record landings and departures.

Long Island Boy dies- Maine news

LONG ISLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- The Cheverus High School and Long Island communities are mourning the loss of a promising young man.

Eighteen-year-old Benjamin LaMontagne died unexpectedly at his home on Long Island early Saturday morning.

On Wednesday, February 19, he had his wisdom teeth removed.

On February 22, at 1:12 a.m., the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office was notified of a medical emergency at his home on Long Island.

The Regional Communications Center reported that Benjamin's mother called and reported that her son was not breathing.

Emergency medical personnel from the Long Island Fire Department and Portland Fire Department were also notified and responded to the residence.

A patrol deputy from the mainland responded. The deputy met the Long Island Fire boat at the State Pier and was transported to the residence. The deputy arrived at the home at 2:10 a.m., where he met with members of the Long Island and Portland Fire Departments.

A preliminary investigation was conducted at the scene, and although the circumstances surrounding the cause of death are unknown, there are no indications of foul play.

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner was notified and the deceased was transported to the OCME's office in Augusta. On February 24 an autopsy was conducted, with toxicology results pending. At this time, the CCSO continues to work with the OCME to determine the official cause and manner of death.

Benjamin's friend, Christian Cilley, said he was well-known and well-liked at the high school, where he played several musical instruments and was on the sailling club.

Benjamin was planning to attend Gettysburg College in the fall to study music.

Cilley said his motto was "Everything happens for a reason." Now, his friends are trying to find the reason for his passing.

"That's the question," said Cilley. "It just doesn't make any sense. It just seems really unfair because...he was the best guy I knew.

God bless you Benjamin may you rest in peace!!

I am so sorry for your losss!!

Murder in Augusta Maine

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AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - An Augusta man has pleaded not guilty to killing his live-in girlfriend.

Justin Pillsbury, 39, remained held without bail after entering his plea to murder charges at an arraignment Wednesday in Kennebec County Superior Court.

Prosecutors say Pillsbury fatally stabbed Jillian Jones in their apartment in November in a fit of jealousy because she had talked to another man on the phone. Authorities say Pillsbury then tried to kill himself.

The couple's roommate discovered both bodies.

Pillsbury's lawyer tells the Kennebec Journal that while he could not comment on the substance of the case he is waiting for some discovery material from the state and Pillsbury's family is standing by him.

The attorney says would oppose the state's attempt to get records of Pillsbury's medical treatment.