Troop F

Two juvenile males are in custody after leading police on a brief chase in Mars Hill. 

On August 19, 2020, at approximately 8:43 a.m., Sgt. Jeffrey Clark was traveling south on the West Ridge Road in Mars Hill when he met a pick-up traveling north and operating erratically.  The vehicle had a snow plow equipped that was dragging on the hot top and no registration plates.  Sgt. Clark attempted to stop the vehicle to address the violations.  

The operator, later determined to be a male juvenile, refused to stop and increased his speed to approximately 80 mph.  The vehicle continued to operate erratically and drove off the right side of the roadway, becoming airborne into a field and came to rest in the woodline.  Sgt. Clark placed two juvenile males into custody.  No one was injured in the crash.  The crash is being investigated by Cpl. Dennis Quint of the Maine State Police.

A Patten man is facing charges after reportedly threatening various public officials.

On August 11, 2020, at approximately 10:09 AM the Houlton RCC received a call from the Patten Town Office reporting 49 year old Fred Whitney of Patten called the town office threatening to shoot a fire fighter who allegedly cut him off.

Throughout the day Fred Whitney also called the Aroostook County SO and Maine District Court switchboard stating he was no longer coming to his court appearances and if any law enforcement showed up at his residence he would shoot them.  Tr. Tim Saucier drafted an arrest warrant for terrorizing and disorderly conduct as well as a search warrant for Whitney’s residence in Patten.  

At approximately 4:24 PM Troop F Troopers along with members of the Maine State Police Tactical Team and Crisis Negotiation Team responded to Pleasant St in Patten where Whitney was arrested without incident.  Whitney was transported to the Penobscot County Jail.  

Two people have died in a crash in Island Falls.

On August 10, 2020, at approximately 3:30 PM, the Houlton RCC received a 911 call from a passing motorist reporting a car off the road with people trapped.  Trooper Tim Saucier responded and learned the following from his subsequent investigation.  35 year old Colleen Collins was driving North on the interstate in Island Falls in a full size sport utility vehicle.  Also in the vehicle was 62 year old Mary Michaud and her son 42 year old Keith Michaud both of Van Buren.  Collins lost control of the SUV and traveled off into the ditch coming to rest in the trees before catching fire.  Colleen Collins and Mary Michaud did not survive the crash and were pronounced deceased at the scene.  Keith was transported to the Houlton Regional Hospital with non life threatening injuries.  

Due to the extent of the damage the make and model of the vehicle is still undetermined as well as if the occupants were wearing their seat belts.  

Also assisting at the scene were Tr. Steve Mahon, Sgt. Josh Haines, Lt. Brian Harris, Maine Forest Service, Island Falls Fire and Island Falls Ambulance.      

Police responded to T 17 R 3 where a pilot made an emergency landing in a clearing.

On August 5, 2020, at approximately 12:52 PM, the Houlton RCC received a 911 call from Leigh Smith, 35, of Presque Isle reporting he made an emergency landing with his airplane.  

Cpl. Chuck Michaud responded to the scene in T 17 R3 off the Sullivan Rd. along with Maine Game Warden Ryan Fitzpatrick and multiple other first responders.  

Officials learned that Smith was receiving flight instruction from Cody Anderson, 26, of Levant when the engine failed, and they were forced to make an emergency landing.  The plane came to rest in a clear cut and had front end and wing damage.  Both men were transported to Fort Kent Regional Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.  

The incident remains under investigation by the Portland office of the FAA and Northeast office of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). 

(EDIT: The names of the flight instructor and student were mixed up in earlier versions of this release. Edited 8/5/2020 at 17:17)
 

MARS HILL, Maine – A Fort Fairfield man is facing charges after crashing his vehicle in Mars Hill over the holiday weekend.

On July 4, 2020, at approximately 10:53 p.m., the Houlton Regional Communication Center received a report of an erratic driver traveling south on Route 1A in Mars Hill.  At approximately 11 p.m. Houlton RCC received a report via 911 of a single vehicle crash on Route 1A in Mars Hill.  

Tpr. Steve Mahon responded and determined that Grayden Griffeth, 18, of Fort Fairfield, was traveling south on Route 1A in his 2008 Chevy Avalanche when he lost control and struck the guardrail.  Griffeth left the roadway and went down a steep embankment rolling the vehicle onto its side.  He was wearing his seatbelt and his airbags deployed but he still suffered minor injuries in the crash.  

Griffeth refused medical treatment.  Speed and alcohol were a factor in the crash and as a result Griffeth was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol.    
 

Two Sherman men are facing felony theft charges after stealing a catalytic converter from another resident.

On March 26, 2020, at approximately 7:38 a.m., State Police received a report of theft in Sherman.  The victim discovered a catalytic converter had been cut off his vehicle.  Tr. Tim Saucer responded, and his investigation led him to a residence on North Street in Sherman belonging to 36-year-old Chris McNally. 

The residence was secured with the assistance of Maine Game Wardens and Maine Forest Rangers while a warrant could be drafted.  As Troopers, Wardens and Rangers secured the perimeter of the property fresh footwear impressions were

found leaving from the rear of the residence.  A State Police K-9 team tracked the suspects to a point where they were believed to have been picked up on a nearby roadway.  McNally, who was on probation for possession of schedule drugs, eventually turned himself in to State Police back at his residence. He was arrested on a probation hold and charged with felony theft.  

42-year-old Larry Morgan, also of Sherman, was arrested at a nearby residence a short time later.  Morgan had a warrant from Penobscot County for possession of schedule drugs and was charged with felony theft.

Both McNally and Morgan were transported to the Aroostook County Jail.  

State Police have recently seen a rise in property crimes to include burglaries and thefts this week on the Mahaney Rd in Easton and Waddell Rd in Castle Hill.  Anyone with information on any of these crimes or witnessing suspicious activity is encouraged to call the State Police in Houlton at 207-532-5400. 
 

Slippery conditions contributed to a tractor trailer rollover in Smyrna.

On March 23, 2020, at approximately 10:39 p.m., State Police were called to a tractor trailer off the road on Interstate 95 in Smyrna. Tpr. Tim Saucier responded to investigate the crash. He determined that the driver, Biniam Tewelde, 41, of Dallas, Texas, was travelling southbound hauling a load of potatoes when he lost control on the slippery roadway and went off into the median, rolling the tractor and trailer onto its side.
Tewelde was not injured, but the unit suffered disabling damage.

On March 24, 2020, The potatoes were unloaded by hand and the unit was removed from the roadway.
 

State Police are currently investigating multiple crashes on Route 161 in Cross Lake one of which is a five vehicle crash with injuries. Route 161 will be closed due to white out conditions in Cross Lake until further notice and motorists are encouraged to avoid the area if at all possible. Visibility due to high winds is making driving conditions poor in other areas of Aroostook County as well.

A juvenile received non-life-threatening injuries when he hit a logging truck parked on the Gentle Road in Monticello.

On Feb. 19, 2020, at around 7:15 p.m., a 17-year-old juvenile was driving his 2016 Honda sedan west on the Gentle Road, Monticello.  Robert Cox, 47, of Monticello, employed by Bartlett Forest Products, had a loaded log truck parked on Gentle Road, Monticello.  The truck did not have flashers or other lights activated.  The juvenile stated he saw the truck at the last moment, attempted to swerve around it, and struck the back of the trailer.  

The juvenile was transported to Houlton Regional Hospital for injuries that are not life threatening.  His vehicle was towed from the roadway by Westerdahl’s Towing.

The log truck was moved from the roadway and parked in a nearby lot.

Trooper Ryan Kilcollins is still conducting an investigation.  Robert was issued a summons for parking to obstruct traffic.  The juvenile was issued a traffic summons as well.

Monticello First Responders and Houlton Ambulance responded to the scene to assist Trooper Kilcollins
 

Morgan Fields, 34, of West Bath, was traveling southbound on US Route 1 in Littleton when she reached for something inside her vehicle causing her to cross the center line and go into the northbound lane in front of a northbound tractor trailer unit driven by Charles Michaud, 58, of Caribou. Michaud swerved to avoid a head on collision. Fields struck the back side of Michaud’s trailer and spun coming to rest in a snowbank on the northbound side. There were no injuries. 

Field’s vehicle had disabling damage to the front passenger side corner and was towed from the scene by York’s of Houlton.

Michaud’s tractor trailer unit, owned by Carmichael Transport INC of Bangor, sustained disabling damage to the trailer and was removed from the scene by Westerdahl’s. Michaud was hauling US Mail.

Field’s was cited for Failure to Maintain Control of a Motor Vehicle.