Oxycontin News Blog

Trooper David Pelletier from Troop C reportedly almost single-handedly resolved the Friday, April 20 standoff inside a Wal-Mart in Augusta. Minutes after Philip Urquhart entered the store with two handguns and two knives, Trooper Pelletier arrived. As Augusta police, the Maine State Police Tactical Team and other troopers got into position, Pelletier confronted Urquhart at gunpoint and talked with him. Sgt. Bill Harwood, who was also inside the store, said the main reason for the successful conclusion was that Pelletier excellently diffused the situation. With the tactical team inside backing up Pelletier, Urquhart put down his guns and was taken into custody.

Maine will soon have a primary seat belt law. The House and Senate approved the new law which, for the first time, will allow police to stop motorists for not wearing their seat belts. Police currently must have another violation before the unbelted driver may be stopped. The Bureau of Highway Safety, Maine State Police and Emergency Medical Services have been strong supporters of the new law, which will have a phase-in period. Through March of 2008, motorists will be warned instead of summoned.

Highway Safety reported that 82 police agencies have signed up for the annual seatbelt enforcement campaign, which will run May 21 to June 3, including Memorial Day Weekend.

A driver faces operating under the influence charges after troopers recently stopped him for speeding on the turnpike. Inside the car, there were 23 cases of beer, just purchased in New Hampshire. Maine law allows for one case of beer to be imported from another state.

Two young Augusta men have been charged with murder in the shooting death of entertainer Jean-Paul Poulain at his apartment in Augusta. The last homicide recorded in Augusta was in 1998. In August of that year, a woman was shot and killed by her estranged husband, who then killed himself. A month earlier, an Augusta woman, 87, was strangled by a former tenant, who also killed his 16-year-old stepdaughter in Manchester.

The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency has worked with local police as of late on three suspected drug overdose deaths in Southern Maine. A man, 24, was found dead inside his Sanford apartment after he had allegedly ingested OxyContin and Klonopin the previous night. The body of a Portland man, 22, was found in a friend’s apartment, which allegedly appeared to have been cleaned prior to Portland police being contacted. In Falmouth, a man, 23, was found dead inside his car at a shopping center parking lot. Cocaine, heroin and several needles were allegedly found inside the vehicle. The Medical Examiner’s Office will complete toxicology tests.

A dispute over unpaid drug money may be the motive for a recent home invasion in Presque Isle, during which the intruder was shot. Maine State Police said the occupant of the home had been warned there might be trouble and he armed himself with a .22 caliber pistol. Steven Ouellette of Presque Isle, who was shot in the chest, is expected to recover. MDEA assisted Presque Isle police.

Many recent armed robberies in the state have reportedly had a drug connection. In the past week, a gunman robbed Nutter’s convenience store in Enfield. In addition, the second bank robbery in Portland this year was also staged. Investigations continue.

New searches have been conducted in the Amy Drake homicide investigation. Her body was found last November in Norridgewock woods. Last week, armed with search warrants and new information, CID 2 detectives and the crime lab personnel searched three locations in the Skowhegan area.

Troop B reported a Denmark woman died last week from injuries she sustained in a one-car crash. Troopers said the car of Carolyn Ficks, 28, overturned on the Hancock Pond Road and slammed into a tree. The crash occurred a few miles away from the double-fatality that took place a day earlier on Route 117 in Sebago.

Troopers on the turnpike had little trouble finding the vehicle, which slammed into another and the driver took off. The car was located in Saco without its front license plate. In the crash, the plate came off and was imbedded in the rear of the vehicle it hit.

The top speed intercepted by troopers on the turnpike this past week — 104 mph.

The Maine Warden Service has been searching for a girl, 3, who is feared to be in the swollen Aroostook River in Fort Fairfield. The girl’s boot was found along the riverbank. Forest Rangers, troopers, Marine Patrol and the RCMP are also involved.

VillageSoup/Waldo County Citizen Editor Beth Staples can be reached at 207-338-0484 or by e-mail at bstaples@villagesoup.com.

Click Here for information on how to get an enhanced listing for your business or organization.

Cabin on 13 acres, private. No water or electricity. $250 month.

This is cache, read story here