WOOLWICH, Maine — The Sagadahoc County Sheriff ’s Department is releasing additional details of a December burglary in which police say thieves made off with more than $30,000 in jewelry, coins and a rare porcelain doll. The couple, who are in their 80s, live in the Mountain Road area in Woolwich and were away visiting relatives for the holidays when the burglary was discovered the morning of Dec. 29. Sgt. Dale Hamilton said the burglary is believed to have happened the previous night. Hamilton said jewelry valued at $20,000 was taken, including many pieces that had been in the family for generations, Hamilton said. A coin collection worth about $8,000 was taken, including Indian Head pennies, buffalo nickels, mercury dimes, a unique 1840 dollar bill and Susan B. Anthony silver dollars. Hamilton said some of the coins were rolled, which should attract suspicion. A rare porcelain Oprah Winfrey doll, which stands about a foot tall, was also taken. (read more at Bangor Daily News)
Raymond Bellavance Jr. consistently has denied he burned down the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro 3 1/2 years ago, a denial jurors rejected when they convicted him of arson. Now Bellavance is appealing his Dec. 30, 2011, conviction to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, which is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case next month in Portland. Bellavance, 51, formerly of Winthrop, is serving his 30-year sentence at the Maine State Prison in Warren and is represented in the appeal by Andrews Campbell, who also defended him at trial. Just before his sentencing, Bellavance himself weighed in early on his appeal in a letter mailed to the Kennebec Journal and distributed at his sentencing hearing. In it, he claims to be a victim of a corrupt justice system and, at the least, “sloppy police work.” (read more at Kennebec Journal)
ST. STEPHEN, New Brunswick — A cross-border case of smuggling rare narwhal tusks into the United States from New Brunswick using a secret compartment in a vehicle and trailer will take its next legal steps in a Bangor, Maine, courtroom next week. Andrew J. Zarauskasw, 59, of Union, N.J., and Jay Gus Conrad, 66, of Lakeland, Tenn., were indicted in November by a federal grand jury and are scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 11. The indictment, provided to the Telegraph-Journal by the U.S. Justice Department, also includes the blacked out names of two Canadian citizens who have also been charged in the case. Found primarily in the Arctic, narwhal are a species of whale whose two-meter tusk is actually an elongated tooth protruding from their skulls. Known as the unicorns of the sea, the illegal trade of a single, spiral ivory tusk can bring in thousands of dollars for smugglers. (read more at Bangor Daily News)
AUBURN, Maine — Thirty years ago somebody asked Joe Goin if he would like to be a wrestler. “I was 18 years old and a senior in high school when I started. I had seen midget wrestling on TV, and being in a small town [in North Carolina] I didn’t have many job options. I had to get something to do so I decided to give it a try,” he said. “[The job] has carried me all over the world. I’ve been to Africa, Asia, South America” Now, after Little Mania Wrestling show at Club Texas on Dec. 15, he can add Maine to his list. These days Goin mostly works as a referee. (read more, and see lots of pictures, at Bangor Daily News)
More than 1,000 patients at Maine medical facilities have been treated with products that were recalled by a Massachusetts pharmacy after a steroid injection was linked to a meningitis outbreak that has killed 24 people and sickened hundreds more. Officials from those facilities are stressing that the products they used have not been associated with the meningitis outbreak or any other illnesses, but a spokeswoman from U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that the agency is not certain the injectable steroid is the only contaminated product from New England Compounding Center. State epidemiologist Dr. Stephen Sears said the tainted steroid injection was not shipped to any facilities in Maine, but 30 facilities in the state have received other products from New England Compounding Center, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. About of half of those facilities said Thursday that no patients have reported concerning symptoms. The other half either did not return phone calls or had no one available to comment. (read more at Morning Sentinel)
GORHAM – Gorham Town Council members unanimously agreed Tuesday that a colleague’s drunk-driving charge did not constitute “moral turpitude” that would have barred her from serving on the board under town rules. Suzanne Phillips, 36, was accused by Gorham police of operating under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident on May 4 on School Street. In a plea deal, Phillips last month pleaded guilty in court to the operating under the influence charge but the leaving the scene charge was dismissed. Her license is under suspension and she was fined. Tuesday’s council vote was 5-0 (Michael Phinney absent and Phillips abstaining). It came following a prepared statement that Phillips read. “I would like to reassure people that this has not and will not effect [sic]the decisions I make as a councilor,” Phillips said. “I want to apologize to anyone whom I have offended or upset by my actions on that night. (read more at KeepMECurrent)
OTISFIELD, Maine — Three people were injured Friday morning in a pair of explosions believed to have been caused by a reaction in chemicals used to clean the family swimming pool. The most seriously hurt, 44-year-old Tammy Thomas, remained hospitalized Friday night in stable condition. A family member said in an update on Facebook that the burns were not as severe as initially feared but that she remained on a respirator. WGME reported that Thomas’ parents suffered less severe burns when a bucket of water exploded, twice, as Tammy was using a broomstick to mix in chlorine. (read more at Bangor Daily News)
NAPLES – A Massachusetts man was injured late Saturday afternoon when his personal watercraft exploded. Karl Marchionda, 31, of Danvers was injured after attempting to start the vehicle after fueling approximately 10 gallons of gas into a Sea Doo GTX155 PWC at Long Lake Marina, according to a release from the Maine Warden Service. Marchionda attempted to start the PWC and it exploded while he was seated on the machine in the water. (read more at KeepMECurrent)
