Without further ado the 2013 Crimees:

Snowed in

FRANKLIN  A Trenton man apparently didn't think his escape route through when attempting to flee from police.

On Jan. 5, a Maine State Trooper initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle on the Rabbit Town Road in Franklin. The driver attempted to flee down a woods road which was not plowed, and his vehicle became stuck. 

The trooper chased the vehicle for approximately 150 yards on foot to where the vehicle was stuck. The driver was arrested on an outstanding arrest warrant for failure to appear. He was also summoned for improper attachment of registration plates.

This looks like a good place for a nap

OLD TOWN  Police reportedly found a vehicle parked in the middle of Main Street with the driver passed out on the wheel. 

An Old Town Police officer was on routine patrol on Feb. 3 around 3 a.m. when he came upon a vehicle that was stopped in the middle of Main Street for no apparent reason. There were no traffic lights or stop signs in the area where the vehicle was stopped. The officer noted that the headlights and brake lights were on and the car was running. He approached the driver's side and saw a man in the driver's seat with his chin on his chest, apparently passed out. The man's foot was on the brake and that was the only thing preventing the car from moving, as it was running and still in drive.

With the assistance of another officer, the first officer knocked on the window and hollered at the man for some time but got no response. At one point the officers even ran the siren in the cruiser, to no avail. Eventually, the responding officer called his supervisor to request permission to break the window and secure the vehicle for safety reasons. After getting approval, the officers used a safety hammer to break the window. They then shut off the car and put it in park. They were also able to rouse the driver, who confirmed he had not heard the yelling and was unaware that they had broken out the window of his car.

They administered standard field sobriety tests, which the driver did not pass to the officer's satisfaction. He was placed under arrest and escorted to Penobscot County Jail.

Wait how'd you get here?

NEWPORT  A deputy familiar with a couple who were at court in Newport also knew that neither had a valid license.

On Feb. 13, a 24-year-old Charleston man and his girlfriend were both attending session at Newport District Court. A Penobscot County Deputy saw them and knew the man's license was suspended and his girlfriend's license was revoked. Knowing that the pair lived a fair distance away, and noting that they didn't seem to be attending court with anyone else, he followed them back to the vehicle, which was parked a few streets away. 

After they started the car and drove away, the deputy stopped them. The man was arrested for violation of bail and the vehicle was towed.

Snow bank curbs high speed chase

EDDINGTON - On Feb. 18, a Penobscot County Deputy was on patrol on the Main Road in Eddington when he saw an oncoming vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. The deputy clocked the vehicle traveling at 90 miles per hour in a posted 40 mph zone. He pulled off to the side and as the vehicle approached he activated his blue lights, hoping the car would slow and possibly stop. It did neither, according to police, continuing at its speed.

The deputy followed the vehicle and saw it turn onto Hill Street, still speeding. As he located where the car had gone, he could see where it had lost control and hit a snowbank as well as several mail boxes before becoming stuck. The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled into the woods.

The deputy waited until backup arrived. They then tracked the suspect by the footprints he left in the snow to where he was hiding in the trees.

Deputies arrested the 19-year-old Orrington man, and he was charged with eluding an officer, a felony; exceeding the speed limit by 30 miles per hour or more; leaving the scene of a personal injury accident; refusal to submit to arrest or detention; and operating without a license (he had a license that was condition Q, meaning if he had any alcohol in his system he lost his license). 

Responding in a mature manner to a reasonable request

MATTAWAMKEAG  A Maine State Trooper was called to a residence in Mattawamkeag where there was a reported domestic incidence during which a car was stolen. 

The investigation revealed that the 18-year-old son became upset when his mother asked him to turn down his music. The son allegedly threw items and broke some glassware before leaving in his mother's vehicle to drive to his girlfriend's house. When police located the son, the mother didn't wish to pursue charges.

Ah, St. Patrick's Day

HERMON  An area man was arrested for criminal trespass after he allegedly entered the residence of a woman and her juvenile daughter last week.

On March 17, around 7:08 p.m., a resident on the Blackstream Road in Hermon called authorities reporting that a man had entered her house. She asked him to leave several times and he eventually complied, standing outside her doorway in the driveway.

Penobscot County deputies were in the area and able to respond within minutes. They found the man in the woman's driveway and described him as extremely intoxicated. The man reportedly didn't know where he was, but told deputies the woman was lying about him being in the residence. He was so intoxicated that he urinated in his pants before being arrested and transported to Penobscot County Jail. He was charged with criminal trespass.

Needing roadwork is not an emergency

ETNA  An inebriated man tied up local resources by repeatedly calling 911 to complain that his road was bad and needed work. 

In the early morning hours on March 7, a deputy responded to a residence and informed the owner that he should not use 911 to complain about road conditions and to call the public works in the morning. The deputy noted that the man was extremely intoxicated.

Non-smoking means don't smoke crack

BREWER  Two area women were arrested for various drug-related charges after a hotel employee reported they were smoking illicit drugs in their rented room.

On April 6, around 11:38 a.m., a Brewer Police sergeant was dispatched to a Wilson Street hotel. A hotel employee called authorities when she saw a woman in one of the rooms smoking what she thought was crack, and the manager wanted the occupants removed from the premises. 

The officer spoke with the occupants and, as a result of the investigation, arrested both.

One was charged with unlawful possession of synthetic hallucinogenic drugs, colloquially known as bath salts; illegal possession of schedule W drugs; and sale and use of drug paraphernalia. The other was charged with unlawful possession of a schedule Y drug for a valium pill that was located in her pocket and sale and use of drug paraphernalia. She also had an active warrant for arrest. Both were taken to Penobscot County Jail.

That's not how self-checkout works

BANGOR  A woman has been charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing $1,700 worth of goods from Wal-Mart on Stillwater Ave. in Bangor. 

On April 4, a Bangor Police officer was dispatched to the Wal-Mart, where employees reported that a woman had wheeled a cart full of items past an assistant manager, loaded them in her car and then driven away. The assistant manager caught up with her and discovered she had left her purse at the bottom of the cart. It contained her driver's license. 

The officer was able to locate her and arranged to meet her at the police station on April 11. She was summoned to court on one charge of Class C felony theft.  

First there is the man who caused the roadblock

OLD TOWN/MILFORD  A Brewer man is facing several charges after reportedly leading police on a high speed chase and then crashing his car.

On May 4 around 12:24 a.m., the Old Town Police Department received a request from a Penobscot County Deputy to assist in locating a green sedan with a loud exhaust heading to Old Town from Milford. The driver had reportedly been stumbling as he walked, and the vehicle was racing up and down the Call Road before being seen heading towards Old Town on Route 2.

When a sergeant from Old Town Police Department arrived in the downtown Old Town area, he heard a vehicle's engine revving and saw the car heading north on Route 2 at a high rate of speed. The officer caught up to the vehicle in Milford and attempted to stop it as it turned onto the Call Road and then into a trailer park. The driver did not stop, and headed back towards Old Town.

Officers pursued the vehicle on Center Street to Stillwater Avenue. The vehicle then changed directions, went down Stillwater Avenue to Main Street and then left onto Gilman Falls (Route 43), where the driver lost control and crashed on Route 43 near the Stagecoach Road in Alton, according to police. The vehicle left the road and struck several trees.

Officers found the driver, who appeared to be in serious condition. Officers assisted the driver until medical personnel arrived. He was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.  

The Orono Police Department and the Veazie Police Department also assisted.

Then there's the drunk guy who drove through it

ALTON  While Penobscot County Deputies were investigating the crash that resulted from the high speed chase through Milford and Old Town, they had cordoned off the area to assist in the rescue and reconstruction efforts. 

Despite the roads being barricaded with cruisers that had flashing blue lights, a vehicle snaked around the barricade to continue on. A deputy stopped the vehicle, spoke with the driver and noted signs of intoxication.

After failing field sobriety tests, the driver was taken back to the Penobscot County Jail for an Intoxilyzer test, which indicated he was well over the legal limit to drive. He was charged with operating under the influence.

What do you mean you're taking my drugs?!

BELFAST  Police said a woman became 'out of control' when she was told that her drugs and drug paraphernalia were being seized as evidence.

On May 9, a Maine State Trooper stopped a woman for a non-moving violation. As a result of the investigation, the trooper located drugs and paraphernalia in the vehicle and seized it as evidence. When that happened, the woman became physically out of control and was arrested for disorderly conduct. She was also charged with unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, possession of marijuana and sale and use of drug paraphernalia.

And away we go

HANCOCK  A man was arrested after nearly striking a state trooper.

The vehicle had nearly struck a trooper as he was conducting a traffic stop in Franklin on June 17. Another trooper located the vehicle and attempted to pull it over, but the driver refused to yield. The trooper pursued the vehicle from Route 182 in Hancock onto Route 1, where it continued heading north. He followed it for another four miles, before it turned into a driveway and the driver fled on foot into the woods.

A canine team responded to the scene and performed a track. They located the driver a short time later, and he was taken into custody without further incident.

Police learned that the driver's license was suspended and he was on probation. He was arrested for eluding an officer and faced numerous other charges, including operating under the influence and operating after suspension.

How'd that get there?

PERRY  A pilfered bus was reunited with its owners after it was found on someone else's lawn.

On June 22, a Maine State Trooper received a call from a Pleasant Point Police officer that he had located a stolen bus on Route 190 in Perry.

After arriving on scene, the owners of the bus had observed the vehicle on the lawn. The resident of the home had no idea how it had gotten there. 

The owners were happy to have their bus back and did not want a criminal investigation regarding this case.

You weren't supposed to get here from there

AMERST  A Massachusetts man was arrested for allegedly drunk driving after the Phish concert. Oddly enough, he was arrested in Amherst, Maine on Route 9 after leaving the Bangor concert - which was more than a little out of his way.

On July 3, a state trooper investigated an erratic vehicle complaint on Route 9. As a result, the trooper located and arrested the driver for OUI. 

Police noted that the driver was lost, possibly due to his level of intoxication.

Who let the dog out?

EAST MACHIAS  A Michigan man is facing charges after police learned he let someone else's dog out of the residence.

On July 22, a Maine State trooper received a criminal trespassing complaint in East Machias. The caller had returned home and found a man on the property.

The man reportedly admitted that he had been walking past the residence and heard the complainant's dog barking, so he let it out of the residence. 

He was summoned for criminal trespassing.

Short shrift

BANGOR  An Old Town man is facing felony charges after he fleeced a man who was trying on suits for a wedding.

On Aug. 21, around 9 p.m., Bangor police responded to Macy's at the Bangor Mall for the report of a theft. The officer spoke to a manager and the male victim. The officer learned that the man was trying on suits for a wedding, and when he returned from the fitting room he realized his shorts with his wallet and other personal effects were missing.

The Macy's manager provided a pair of shorts to the victim, and an employee who had noticed the police presence told police that a 50-year-old man with gray hair and a thick Boston accent had made transactions at her register and was acting strangely. She told the officer that he had showed her staples in his shoulder from a previous injury.

The officer checked on a couple of local bar establishments in the area. On his second stop, the bar tender pointed out an Old Town man who matched the officer's description.

The suspect claimed that he was the victim and showed the officer the stolen card. He was placed under arrest and charged with class C felony theft and misdemeanor receiving stolen property and misuse of identification. All of the victim's property was recovered and returned.

Your ID says you're 20

ORONO  A 20-year-old man in Orono allegedly tried to buy alcohol with his identification - his not-yet-21-year-old identification.

An Orono Police officer was called to the Thriftway, where an employee told the officer that a 20-year-old Lewiston man was attempting to purchase alcohol. When asked for his identification, the man helpfully provided it, which showed the young man to be in fact 20 years old.

The officer charged him with attempting to purchase liquor by a minor.

Calling the cops first doesn't make you right

OLD TOWN  A woman reportedly was quick to call the cops to explain why she had the right to spit in someone's face over the weekend.

Police said that a 50-year-old woman called police to report that she had gotten into an argument with another woman that culminated in her spitting in that woman's face. The caller believed she was within her rights to do so, since the victim was 'getting in her face.'

Shortly after, police received a call from the actual victim requesting to speak with an officer. The victim told police that she saw the suspect speaking with a third party when they got into an argument. She claimed the suspect threw a brick at her, but she dodged it and then the suspect spat in her face.

The first woman eventually agreed to meet with police at the station and reportedly admitted to spitting and throwing the brick, but felt she was within her rights to spit on the woman. Police charged her with assault.

Man shows off family jewels outside Diamonds

BANGOR  A Corinth man is facing charges after reportedly exposing himself and then urinating in the parking lot outside of a gentleman's club.

On Nov. 9, a Corinth man was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and indecent conduct. A Bangor Police officer saw the man walking across the well-lit parking lot with his genitals exposed, and then he began to urinate in front of the other people in the parking lot.

After he was arrested, he was taken to Penobscot County Jail.