Bangor's police chief set to retire

BANGOR - After more than 30 years of service, Bangor Police Chief Ronald Gastia has announced he'll be retiring from the department on Sept. 30, 2012. Gastia began his career in Bangor as a patrol officer in 1982, where he then rose through the ranks to sergeant in 1995, lieutenant in 2001 and chief in 2007. Gastia said, "I wouldn't trade my time with the Bangor Police Department for anything. I am grateful for the experiences and opportunities that my career has provided."

Chief Gastia plans to spend his retirement in the outdoors and with family.

Franklin motorcyclist has a bad day on the roads

TRENTON - A Franklin man was taken into custody after leaving the scene of an accident and speeding away from police.

Bar Harbor police contacted state police in Ellsworth on Friday, asking them to look out for a motorcycle that fled the scene of an accident in Bar Harbor. Trooper Greg Roy later spotted the motorcyclist on Route 3 in Trenton. When he attempted to stop the driver, the motorcyclist sped up. After a two mile chase, the bike's operator lost control while attempting to turn onto the Jordan River Road in Trenton, but that didn't keep him from moving. The driver, who was later identified as 24-year-old Brandon Brown, tried to drive away from police again before he was forcefully removed from the motorcycle by Tpr. Roy.

Brown was arrested and charged with eluding an officer, operating under the influence, resisting arrest, criminal speed, driving to endanger, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. He was also cited for having no insurance and an expired inspection sticker.

Brewer woman arrested for hit & run fatality 

BANGOR - 51-year-old Patricia Giles of Brewer was arrested last week for her alleged involvement in a hit and run accident outside of the Zac Brown Band concert on the Bangor Waterfront on June 2.

The accident happened on Main Street and claimed the life of 37-year-old Joshua Constantine of Bangor. Giles, who is currently out on bail, is charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident resulting in death and falsifying evidence. She is scheduled to appear in court on September 12.

Police search for Squire Convenience Store burglar 

HOLDEN - Police are looking for the man who was captured on video surveillance burglarizing the Squire Convenience Store in Holden early Sunday morning.

Holden authorities say around 1:25 a.m., the subject pried the back door of the store open, entered the business and took off with a drop safe that held an undisclosed amount of cash. Police say the subject also made off with a bag full of Marlboro and Camel brand cigarettes. If anyone has any information on the burglary, they are urged to contact police.

Transient arrested following stabbing on Ohio St. 

BANGOR - A 23-year-old man was arrested Monday at the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter and charged with elevated aggravated assault following an early morning stabbing on Ohio Street.

Police were called to 219 Ohio Street at around 6:36 a.m. for a report of a man who had been stabbed in the back. The victim, who has not been identified, was transported to the emergency room at Eastern Maine Medical Center while authorities immediately searched the area for the suspect, who was described as a young, thin African American male who was approximately 5'10" tall. He was last seen wearing black pants and a purple hooded sweatshirt.

Less than four hours later, a man fitting that description was arrested at the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter and identified as 23-year-old Daniel Bolden, a transient, who police say recently moved to the area from Georgia.

Disturbance call leads to stabbing investigation

BANGOR - Police received a disturbance call from 69 First St. in Bangor around 1:45 a.m. on May 22. When they arrived, officers found an injured man who was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. The man, later identified as 38-year-old Andy D. Smith of Bangor, died at the hospital. An autopsy revealed he was stabbed to death.

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to call the Bangor Police Department at 947-7382. Those who wish to remain anonymous should press 6 to use the tip line.

All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Man sought for identification

BANGOR - Police are looking to identify a man who allegedly withdrew money using someone else's credit card.

A 44-year-old Bangor resident reported to police that she lost a bundle of credit cards between her home and downtown Bangor on May 1. However, the resident didn't report the cards stolen for a couple of days in hopes that she had just misplaced them.

But on May 4, one of her cards was used three times for cash withdrawals, two of which successfully went through. Two of those transactions were captured on still photographs from the Court Street Market and an ATM machine in Bangor.

image courtesy Bangor Police Department

Anyone who knows the identity of the person in the photographs is urged to contact Officer Jason Stuart at jason.stuart @ bangormaine.gov. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call 947-7382 and press 6 to leave a message on the tip line.

Bangor man robbed after accepting a ride 

BANGOR - An evening at a local downtown bar in Bangor turned scary for one 33-year-old Bangor man who was reportedly choked and robbed after accepting a ride home from an acquaintance.

The man, who was not identified, told Officer Taylor Bagley that when the bar closed Sunday morning at around 1:15 a.m., he accepted a ride from an acquaintance he knew only as 'Scott.' When he got into the man's silver van, he noticed a younger man and three women already inside the vehicle.

The victim told police the younger man choked him from behind until he lost consciousness. He awoke in the parking lot of Angelo's Pizzeria on Hammond Street as the van took off. The victim eventually flagged down a passing motorist and used her cell phone to call police.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In our story 'Bonfire explosion leads to charges' that appeared in the May 9 edition of The Maine Edge, the second paragraph incorrectly inferred that the 19-year-old Lamoine man, who was not identified and was injured by the resulting explosion, was responsible for throwing gasoline into the fire that caused his injuries. While it was clarified in the following paragraph, where Blake Thomas, 21, of Southwest Harbor was charged by police to have thrown the gasoline that injured the 19-year-old, the previous reference caused undue confusion.

We regret the error.

Bangor police search for knife-wielding robber

BANGOR - Anyone who may have been around the Circle K convenience store on Broadway in Bangor early Sunday morning is urged to contact police in an effort to help them identify the suspect who robbed the store with a knife. Officer Kyle Pelkey and backup units were dispatched to the convenience store at approximately 1:45 a.m., where the store clerk reported to authorities she'd just been robbed by a man wielding a knife and wearing a purple colored bandana around his face. The suspect is described as a white male, who is approximately 5'5"-5'7", weighing between 200-220 pounds. He has dark hair and was wearing a T-shirt, jeans and black sneakers with white soles. Anyone who might know the identity of the suspect should call Detective Erik Tall at 947-7382. Those who wish to remain anonymous should press 6 to utilize the police tip line.

New Hampshire man faces OUI charges

ORONO A New Hampshire man is facing charges after witnesses alerted police about an erratic driver.

Police received a call about a green mini van that had struck a curb and nearly struck another vehicle before leaving Orchard Trails apartment complex in the early morning of April 28. Officer Dan Merrill was responding when he saw a vehicle matching the description pull onto Mill Street and park.

He spoke with the driver, Christopher Lucia, 26, of Summersworth, NH, and determined he had been consuming alcohol. Merrill administered field sobriety tests and placed Lucia under arrest for operating under the influence. Lucia was taken to Penobscot County Jail and charged with OUI. He was also cited for possession of drug paraphernalia when police found a glass marijuana pipe in the center console while conducting an inventory search of the vehicle.