2009 Crimees Celebrating the best - and worst - criminal mischief of 2009 Bird watching BANGOR – In January, a Bangor man reportedly flipped off the police he was eluding before resisting arrest early Saturday morning. Officers were monitoring traffic in downtown Bangor when they observed a Jeep make an illegal turn at an intersection. The officers activated their blue lights and attempted to stop the vehicle. The Jeep continued driving around several side streets at a slow rate of speed and at one point the driver rolled down his window and made an offensive gesture at the pursing officers. After less than a mile of eluding officers, the driver finally stopped the car and exited the vehicle. The Bangor man reportedly ignored several warnings to cooperate with officers. He was effectively restrained after being successfully immobilized by the use of a Taser, according to police. He was transported to Penobscot County Jail and charged with eluding a police officer, operating under the influence, operating after suspension and possession of a scheduled drug. Love in the fast lane CLINTON – A Maine State Trooper out of Troop C helped make a love connection after issuing a speeding citation. Trooper Joe Chretien was on patrol when he clocked a vehicle going 92 miles per hour and stopped it. The male passenger asked to speak with the officer. The man pulled out a box with a ring in it and explained he wanted to propose to his girlfriend but didn't know how. The trooper asked if the man was asking for a lead-in. "He said 'please,'" explained Chretien. The trooper then went back to his cruiser to fill out paperwork and issue the driver a citation. "She was going 92, I couldn't let that go," he said. After issuing the ticket he informed her that her boyfriend had something to say. At which point, the man popped out of the vehicle, got down on bended knee and proposed. The woman said "yes," and Chretien noted that the proposal improved her mood in spite of the ticket. Chretien has been a Maine State Trooper for three years, and worked for Waterville Police Department for two years, and spent 20 years in the Navy. "I never had anything like this happen before," he said. Get a room ORONO – An amorous couple is facing charges of indecent conduct after police were called to College Avenue where the couple was allegedly coupling. On Aug. 22 around 5:45 a.m., police were called to College Avenue when an off-duty Penobscot Nation Police Officer called dispatch to advise them that he had seen a couple engaged in sex on the side of the road while he was driving by. The officer drove to the location and could see a woman on her hands and knees on the side of the road, according to police. As he approached, he reportedly saw that she appeared to be engaging in intercourse with a man on the ground. When the officer spoke to the pair, they stopped and began apologizing for their actions. After they dressed, Watson identified them as a 20-year-old man from Winterport and 19-year-old woman from St. Albans. He learned that the young man had been drinking and issued him a summons for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor. The pair told the officer that they had gone outdoors so they wouldn't bother anyone. The officer explained that it was inappropriate for them to have sex in full view of the road. Both were issued summons for indecent conduct. Man allegedly fakes chest pain to get in a kick ORONO – A husband and wife went to jail after a woman was detained for suspicion of shoplifting and her husband got into a fight with store employees. On Jan. 9, around 11:08 a.m., Officers responded to a shoplifting complaint at Bells Orono IGA. The callers reported that a woman was being detained for shoplifting. When officers arrived, they saw a 62-year-old man from Orono fighting with employees on the ground. One officer moved in to subdue the man, who was yelling for the employees to "get the f—k off" him. After he was placed in handcuffs, another officer calmed him down enough to walk him into the hall and sit down. Police learned from employees that they had video of the woman, identified as the man's 65-year-old wife, taking Seabond denture wafers out of a box, pocketing them, and replacing the box. According to police, she then purchased a small amount of groceries with a 100-dollar bill and exited the store, at which point employees stopped her and had her wait in the manager's office. While waiting, she was seen by an employee throwing the wafers into the trash and then telling the employee she couldn't be charged since she no longer had the items on her person, according to police. The wife then asked employees to get her husband, who was waiting in the car. The employees retrieved him, and a female employee informed him that his wife had been detained for shoplifting. The older gentleman reportedly became upset and raised his hand as though he was going to strike the woman, at which point two male employees grabbed his arms. A fight ensued, in which one employee was reportedly struck in the face and another had his shirt and vest ripped, when the man allegedly clutched his chest and claimed to have chest pains. When the employees released him, the man then reportedly began kicking the employees, striking a third employee in the face. The Orono man was arrested for disorderly conduct and was subsequently charged with three counts of assault. His wife was arrested for theft. Both were escorted to Penobscot County Jail. If all your friends were jumping out of windows... ORONO – A UMaine student learned that friends may not always do what they say when he allegedly jumped out of a third-story window to escape from police. His friend reportedly did not jump. Orono Police responded to a noise complaint at building three of Orchard Trails. The tenant informed the responding officer that the party was out of control and people needed to be sent home. Police learned that one of the party-goers had reportedly jumped out of the window. Police located the 18-year-old man from Enfield, attempting to get up from the ground. Police advised him to stay on the ground. He told officers that he had been drinking, and when police arrived heard that people wouldn't have issues if they were over 21 years of age. He and his friend discussed jumping out of the window to avoid police. The man was transported to the hospital as he had injured his arm in the fall, but was also summoned for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor. Police charge seven with promotion of prostitution BREWER – After a month-long investigation that culminated in an undercover sting, Brewer Police, in conjunction with Maine Drug Enforcement, have charged seven women with promotion of prostitution. About a month ago, the Brewer Police Department began investigating several suspected prostitutes that were operating in the area and advertising on Craigslist, an online classifieds Web site. With the assistance of MDEA, officers conducted an undercover operation at a Brewer motel on April 2. As a result of the sting, six area women are facing charges. Three of the women were booked through Cinnamon's Sweets. On April 3, members of the Brewer Police Department, with assistance from the Maine State Police and the Hancock County Sheriff's Department, executed a search warrant on an Orland residence, where the owner of Cinnamon's Sweets lived. The owner was also summoned for promotion of prostitution. Detective Sgt. Jay Munson said that police had had their suspicions for awhile, and spoke with the District Attorney regarding what evidence would be needed for prosecution. "We always had people we suspected were doing this, but we couldn't prove it," he said. He explained that this type of crime brings other problems to the area as well, including drugs and theft. But he also mentioned that the women involved showed little concern for their own safety, all showing up to the motel alone. He noted that none of the women were armed or had security escorts. Evidence recovered in the investigation included records and ledgers containing the names of possible clients and appointments. Ice cream truck bandit VEAZIE – A resident in Veazie had more to be irritated about than the loud tune the ice cream truck driver was playing, after the driver allegedly stole money from the yard sale that was taking place at her house. Police were called to School Street on Aug. 22, and a woman reported that the ice cream truck driver had stopped at her house where she was having a yard sale. The driver, later identified as a 24-year-old Bangor woman, asked the resident if she could have a glass of water. The resident complied, but the ice cream truck driver stayed in the living room. When the home owner returned with the water she saw the woman reportedly stuffing money into her shirt. The complainant could see the money outlined in her shirt and confronted her about it. The ice cream truck driver reportedly handed back a small amount of cash, but then left with most of the cash. After an investigation, officers were able to track down the driver with the assistance of her employers. She denied stealing the money but was identified by the victim and summoned for theft. Full Monty ORONO – A man was arrested when police found him walking around without any pants – or anything else from the waist down. Police were responding to a noise complaint, and officers were on foot when they came across a 22-year-old Orono who wasn't wearing anything below the waist. Police questioned the man on his choice of attire, but he was vague on the reasons for his wardrobe malfunction and wouldn't tell officers the house he was coming from. Police noted there were several people on a nearby porch causing considerable noise, according to police, and some also appeared to be in only their boxers. The man was arrested for indecent conduct and taken to Penobscot County Jail. Don't do this ORONO – A woman was arrested for reportedly chucking beer bottles at a member of the rap group Onyx as they played at the Bear Brew over the weekend. Police responded to a disorderly conduct complaint at the Bear Brew Pub on Oct. 31, around 1:02 a.m. When officers arrived, they were approached by a woman covered in fake blood who wished to speak with them. She was identified as a 23-year-old Bangor woman, but at the same time employees of the Bear Brew pointed her out as the instigator of a ruckus. Witnesses told police that the woman had allegedly thrown a beer bottle, striking Kirk Jones, aka Sticky Fingaz, one of the members of Onyx, a rap group performing at the time. Several witnesses pointed out the woman, including Jones. After being struck, Jones began fighting with the crowd. The woman denied throwing a beer bottle. She was summoned for disorderly conduct. Woman with suspended license stops to talk to cops BREWER – A woman who caught the attention of police during a separate stop ended up going to jail herself. On Nov. 8, around 12:44 p.m., dispatch contacted Brewer Police and the Penobscot County Sheriff's Office about the report of an erratic driver. They received another call reporting that the vehicle had crashed in Orrington moments later. Chief Deputy Troy Morton responded to the scene, and located a green pick up truck that had reportedly rear-ended a gray SUV attempting to make a left hand turn. The driver of the truck, a man from Bucksport, reportedly told police that he had just been released from a five-year stint at a jail in Massachusetts and admitted that he was under the influence of methadone, according to police. After being put through field sobriety tests and examined by a drug recognition expert (Officer Lee Miller of Old Town Police), he was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs. During the investigation, a woman driving a red Saab drove up to the scene, exited her car and attempted to engage in conversation with the man and the deputies. Morton asked her repeatedly to return to her car. She told the officers that she wanted to get her coffee out of the man's truck and that she was there for support, according to police. She eventually returned to her car. It was discovered that the woman's license was under suspension and she was out on bail. She was also placed under arrest and was charged with operating after suspension and violation of conditions of release. Both were transported to Penobscot County Jail. Two OUIs, one car BREWER – It was a two-for-one deal on OUIs when Brewer Police arrested two people in the same car for operating under the influence. Police were called to South Main Street after the report of a possibly intoxicated man driving away from a bar and backing into cars before driving off. Police located a car matching the description, but a woman was driving it. She had a male passenger, identified as a 55-year-old Greenbush man. The driver, a 39-year-old woman from Greenbush, told officers that she started to drive because she was more sober. The officer asked her if she had started to drive after the man had backed into cars in the parking lot, and she said yes, according to police. Neither passed field sobriety tests to the officers' satisfaction and both were placed under arrest for operating under the influence. They were taken to Penobscot County Jail for an Intoxilyzer test, which showed their BAC levels were above the legal limit. Taxpayer's lament ORONO – A Madawaska man was arrested for disorderly conduct after police were called to a disturbance at a nightclub. On Nov. 8, around 1:49 a.m., police were called to the 103 Ultra Lounge for the report of a fight. When police arrived on scene, no one was fighting. Officers spoke with several groups of people who were reportedly involved in a heated argument. Employees of the Ultra Lounge pointed out a couple of men to police who were also reportedly involved, including a 20-year-old Madawaska man. The officer issued them disorderly conduct warnings, at which point the man reportedly declared, "This is f—king ridiculous," and told police that his taxes paid for them to "stand around." He was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct. The man also reportedly informed police that he knew his rights and pointed out that no one had read him his rights. He also inquired if the arrest was going on his record, but then told officers that he was going to be an engineer and it didn't matter, according to police. He was escorted to Penobscot County Jail. It should be noted that taxes pay for public safety in the municipality or county one hails from. Also, Miranda rights are typically only read to a person who has been taken into custody and subsequently interviewed by officers.