A Hallowell man known for fire and safety citations at his antiques store on U.S. Route 201 in Fairfield was arrested Thursday on a warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of burning without a permit.
Police Chief Tom Gould said Robert D. Dale, 52, turned himself in.
“He just walked into the station and advised he had a warrant for a missed court date, and he was picked up and charged with the warrant,” Gould said.
Dale paid the $300 fine for the burn charge and was released.
Fairfield town officials have been trying for more than two years to get Dale, owner of Maine 201 Antiques, to clean up his property, bring it into compliance with the town’s land use and junkyard ordinances, and resolve outstanding safety problems. He even faces possible time in jail if the property defects aren’t addressed.
The city of Hallowell also is pressuring Dale to clean up debris around and on the roof of the Brass and Friends Antiques store. City councilors in March voted to seek a court order against Dale, and he could face thousands of dollars in fines.
The burning violation occurred at 389 Skowhegan Road, also known as U.S. Route 201, next to the Fairfield Antiques Mall. Court documents don’t say what Dale was burning.
Dale was given until mid-June to clean up the property after solving some problems and making a payment on a substantial fine owed to the town of Fairfield.
Much of the debris that has littered the property, including household items, farm tools, exterior windows and doors, assorted metal and glass, has been removed, apparently stored in at least 10 large trailers on the property. Items previously stored on the building’s roof have been removed.
Dale has corrected multiple safety violations that led the Fairfield Fire Department to close the antiques store last summer.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter: @Doug_Harlow
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