AUGUSTA — Coordinated city law enforcement sweeps like last week’s that netted eight arrests will become more common, Augusta police said Monday.
The law enforcement effort, which involved a variety of local, state and federal agencies, also resulted in 49 field interviews, 60 community contacts, eight bail and pre-trial checks, 56 probation checks, 36 registered sex offender checks, 15 warrant checks and 55 house and vehicle searches in Augusta.
Additional Images
Augusta Police Deputy Chief Jared Mills said Monday that the effort was suggested by Adam Silberman, a regional corrections manager with the state Department of Corrections. Mills said it was modeled after Operation Hot Spot, which started with the Lewiston Police Department and that area’s violent crimes task force.
“We attempted to mirror what they have been doing for years for our operation last Thursday,” Mills said.
He added that supervisors from all the law enforcement agencies involved help plan the operation.
“Our hope is to make this a regular operation, though I cannot tell you how often at this point we will do the operation,” he said
Arrested during the Augusta sweep were:
• Roberson Antoine, 40, of Augusta, violation of probation and a warrant charging him with two counts of failure to pay fines;
• Michael Bowden, 31, of Augusta, violation of probation;
• Jason Drew, 28, of Canaan, violation of probation;
• Joseph Oliveria, 25, of Augusta, arrest warrant;
• Megan Skidgell, 21, of Oakland, violation of condition of release;
• Keith Tardiff, 24, of Augusta, violation of probation;
• Nathan Wheeler, 25, of Augusta, violation of probation;
• Heidi Howes, 23, of Augusta, arrest warrant.
The names were released Monday by officials at the Kennebec County jail. By Monday, both Skidgell and Howes had been freed on bail.
Maeghan Maloney, district attorney in Kennebec and Somerset counties, said three attorneys from her office participated in the sweep, which the law enforcement agencies called Operation United Front.
“When everyone works together to combat crime, we make a difference,” she said.
Maloney said she and other attorneys from her office also have participated in the execution of search warrants during the sweep.
“Working together on the scene helps us to better understand what law enforcement officers are facing, and it helps the officers to better understand what evidence we need to prove our case,” Maloney said Monday.
Other agencies involved in the operation included the Maine State Police, Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Marshals Service, the Violent Crimes Task Force out of Lewiston, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Corrections Probation and Parole Department and Maine Pretrial Service.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.