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Today’s top crime stories: Skowhegan man charged in burglary, Strong man arrested for sexual assault, former Augusta man sentenced to three years, Waterville man charged with sexual assault, former Augusta woman convicted and Chesterfield man arrested.
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A Skowhegan man was arrested after he was searched in connection with a drug-trafficking investigation and found to have items reported stolen in a burglary earlier this month, police said.
Michael Fortin, 34, no address given, was searched after police got a warrant to search his person and personal effects as part of a drug investigation, according to a news release Friday from the Skowhegan Police Department.
Officer Katelyn Treyline recognized items in Fortin’s backpack as items reported stolen in burglary earlier this month on Canaan Road, the release said. Items worth about $10,000 were stolen in the burglary, including a coin collection and antique diamond rings. Items found in the backpack included money and drugs, police said, though specifics weren’t available Friday night.
Fortin was charged with receiving stolen property, a class C felony and was taken to Somerset County Jail in East Madison.
Fortin has an extensive criminal record, including burglaries and thefts, according to the release.
AUGUSTA — A registered nurse from Norridgewock has been indicted a charge of stealing drugs from her former employer, Central Maine Endoscopy Center of Waterville.
Trina M. Littlefield, 35, is accused of taking fentanyl, a pain reliever and muscle relaxant, between Oct. 1, 2014, and Oct. 9, 2014.
The indictment was handed up Friday by a grand jury in Kennebec County at the Capital Judicial Center.
An indictment is not a determination of guilt, but it indicates that there is enough evidence to proceed with formal charges and a trial.
Brad Grant, the attorney representing Littlefield, said Friday that she will be entering a plea of not guilty at her arraignment in the case at the Capital Judicial Center.
Littlefield is not in custody. She was issued a summons to come to court for her arraignment.
The charge of stealing drugs carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Travis L. Coro, 29, of Waterville, faces two separate indictments. He was indicted on a charge of aggravated assault that occurred between Jan. 1, 2014, and July 20, 2015, in Waterville, against an adult woman. He also was indicted on charges of assault on a child less than 6 years old, domestic violence assault and obstructing report of a crime or injury, all July 17, 2015, in Waterville.
He was originally arrested July 18 on a complaint charging him with hitting his 1-year-old child, which Waterville Deputy Chief Charles Rumsey said at the time caused serious bruising on the lower back half of the child’s body.
Three people from across Maine were indicted on charges of unlawful trafficking in a synthetic hallucinogenic drug, Alpha-PVP. James Pelkey, 46, and Monica Clark, 30, both of Bangor, and Jeffrey Paoletti, 32, of Warren, were charged in the incident that allegedly occurred July 25 in West Gardiner. Clark and Paoletti also were charged with violation of conditions of release in connection with that same incident.
A number of other people were indicted Friday by the same grand jury:
• Loretta Barton, also known as “Grandma,” 56, of Augusta, aggravated trafficking in heroin July 28 and aggravated trafficking in cocaine base July 30, both in Augusta.
• Joel R. Cloutier, 26, of Mount Vernon, two counts each of theft by unauthorized taking and burglary of a motor vehicle July 4 in Winthrop.
• Lindsay Fortin, 27, of Augusta, theft by deception Sept. 1, 2011-July 31, 2013. She is accused of stealing more than $10,000 from state and federal welfare programs by falsely maintaining that her minor son lived with her.
• Ronald Granger, also known as “Cheese,” 30, of Bronx, New York, unlawful trafficking in cocaine base Oct. 24, 2013, in Augusta.
• Ryan C. Harris, 22, of Winthrop assault May 18 and aggravated assault and assault June 20, all in Winthrop.
• Flint H. Irwin, 27, of Richmond, theft by unauthorized taking and violation of condition of release May 8 in Winthrop.
• Shawn Knight, 28, theft by unauthorized taking and violation of condition of release May 17 in Winthrop.
• Brian Craig Lavigne, 25, of Gray, two counts of receiving stolen property, one between Oct. 15, 2014 and March 23, 2015 in Mount Vernon involving a golf cart belonging to Spring Meadows Golf Course, and the second between March 1 and March 23, 2015, also in Mount Vernon, involving a generator.
• Daniel R. Leary, 24, of Fairfield, theft by unauthorized taking April 19 in Waterville.
• Andrew J. Littlefield, 26, of Waterville, three counts of unlawful trafficking in heroin Dec. 17, 2014-Jan. 7, 2015, and one count of unlawful trafficking in cocaine April 14, 2015, all in Waterville.
• Kevin T. Moore, 39, of Gardiner, theft by unauthorized taking Jan. 8 in Waterville.
• Dennis P. Page, 36, of Thorndike, domestic violence assault July 3 in Augusta.
• Shawn Porter, 34, of Smithfield, burglary, violation of condition of release, violation of a protective order and refusing to submit to arrest July 2 in Oakland.
• Mark Prendergast, 27, of Waterville, aggravated trafficking in MDMA (a form of Ecstasy) on March 13 and aggravated trafficking in heroin on March 24, both in Waterville.
• Charles William Reed, 35, of Wayne, burglary and theft by unauthorized taking May 2 in Wayne.
• Nicholas Rolling, also known as “Tiny,” 23, of Augusta, unlawful trafficking in cocaine Aug. 18 in Augusta.
• Addam L. Sheets, 28, of Augusta, failure to comply with duty under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 2013, on April 14 in Augusta.
• Laura Tibbetts, 31, of Windsor, unlawful possession of heroin July 25 in Augusta.
• Amy Lynn Toman, 35, of Waterville, two counts of theft by unauthorized taking, May 9 in Farmingdale and May 23 in Augusta.
• Zakari Angelo Whittier, 34, of Belgrade, aggravated assault June 28 in Waterville.
• Rebecca E. Wood, 52, of Windsor, unlawful possession of hydrocodone April 26 in Chelsea.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
A man from Strong was arraigned Friday in in Franklin Country District Court on a charge of gross sexual assault against a juvenile, a class A crime, according to a court clerk.
Richard Chabot, 47, of Strong, was arrested on the charge Thursday after the conclusion of a criminal investigation that began Aug. 24, Sheriff Scott Nichols said. Chabot is being held at the Franklin County Jail in lieu of $20,000 cash bail, after an investigation of sexual assault against a child, prompted by a referral to Franklin County Sheriff’s Office from the Department of Health and Human Services. Because a juvenile was involved, Nichols could not provide details of the DHHS referral.
In the month since the investigation began, Nichols said, the department’s criminal division has conducted interviews with witnesses the victim had talked to, including doctors.
The nature of the interviews caused investigating officer Lt. David St. Laurent, to issue Chabot a polygraph examination on Sept. 24, which he failed, according to Nichols.
In an interview after the polygraph test, Chabot confessed to St. Laurent., resulting in Chabot’s arrest, Nichols said.
Lauren Abbate — 861-9252
Twitter: @Lauren_M_Abbate
AUGUSTA — A former city man was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for unlawful trafficking in cocaine base.
Donatello Maldanado, 25, now of Windsor, was sentenced during a hearing in the Capital Judicial Center.
He had pleaded guilty to the charge on July 14 with the sentence announced at the time, but he had asked for the case to be continued until September because he hoped to stay in Kennebec County jail long enough to have a visit with his infant son, who was to be born in late August.
Maldanado was able to have a one-hour visit with the baby and other relatives Wednesday night.
“We’re pretty reasonable about that stuff,” said Kennebec County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ryan Reardon on Thursday. “Nobody wants to break up a family.”
Maldanado’s offense occurred Aug. 19, 2014, in Augusta. He was charged originally with aggravated unlawful trafficking in cocaine, but the charge was reduced in exchange for the plea.
Maldanado previously was convicted of a drug offense in May 2013 in Rockingham County Superior Court in New Hampshire.
Charged with Maldanado in the Augusta offense was Otis Daniel Tosen, 44, of Passaic, New Jersey, who remains free on $100,000 cash bail in connection with that and other charges.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
AUGUSTA — A jury on Thursday cleared a former city woman of a charge of assault but convicted her of refusing to submit to arrest.
Kristen Marie Hopkins, 26, now of Clinton, was sentenced to 24 hours in jail and was ordered to report to the Kennebec County jail at 6 p.m. Monday to serve that time.
According to an affidavit filed with the court complaint, the incident occurred March 17 in Augusta after police responded to a report of a car being stolen.
It turned out the person had been given permission to drive the car.
Hopkins was accused of assaulting a member of the Augusta Police Department.
“This case involved two Augusta police officers who are consistently respectful and courteous to the public and a credit to their profession,” District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said via email on Thursday. “I am thankful that the jury recognized that officers cannot and should not be mistreated.”
Hopkins, who was represented by attorneys Kevin Sullivan and Elizabeth Gray, maintained Libby acted in self-defense.
“She claimed from the very beginning she did nothing wrong,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said they sought a short stay to decide whether to file an appeal.
WATERVILLE — A Waterville man was arrested Wednesday and accused of repeatedly assaulting a woman over a period of several months.
Raymond R. Killam, 42, of Summer Street, was taken into custody at the Waterville police station on Colby Street shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday and charged with aggravated assault and domestic violence gross sexual assault.
Waterville police Chief Joseph Massey said Thursday that a woman came into the police station early Wednesday afternoon and alleged that Killam had sexually assaulted her. In an interview with Detective Jason Longley, she alleged the abuse had been going on for four or five months, Massey said.
Police had Killam come to the station for an interview, and he was cooperative in the interview, Massey said. Killam was charged and booked after the interview and taken to the Kennebec County jail, where he is being held without bail.
According to Massey, Killam was convicted in 2005 in Androscoggin County Superior Court of unlawful sexual contact and given a suspended four-year prison sentence.
According to court records, Killam was sentenced to a year in jail with all but two days suspended and two years of probation for a domestic violence assault in Clinton in July 2011 and was fined $200 for violating a protection order in Clinton later that year.
Aggravated assault is a class B crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Gross sexual assault is a class A crime that carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
Follow up on these stories and more on Twitter using the #MEcrime hashtag for@OnlineSentinel and @KJ_Online.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
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