Jury awards $300,000 to retired trooper who sued state police for retaliation

Maine Crime

Published
December 2, 2022

Jury awards $300,000 to retired trooper who sued state police for retaliation

The nine-person federal jury ruled in favor of George Loder, of Scarborough, a retired detective who accused his former employer of retaliating against him for reporting alleged illegal activity at a state police intelligence center.
Published
December 1, 2022

Judge denies alleged sex offender’s request for new lawyer in decade-old case

Eric Bard, formerly of Sidney, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for allegedly sexually assaulting a 4-year-old in 2011 and 2012. The conviction was later overturned, and he now faces a new trial.
Published
December 1, 2022

Smithfield man facing drug charges is also accused by several people of defrauding them on home repair projects in central Maine

People say they paid Zacheriah Adams, most recently a Smithfield resident, thousands of dollars for home improvement projects that he never finished, and now authorities are concerned he may have fled the state.
Published
November 30, 2022

Searsport man indicted on 2 counts of attempted murder in Winslow shooting

Steven Pratt, 39, was indicted by a grand jury in Kennebec County for allegedly firing a loaded gun inside a vehicle in Winslow on Oct. 21 with the intent to cause the deaths of two women.
Published
November 30, 2022

Judge denies request to reduce $100,000 bail for former sheriff’s deputy charged with assault

Daniel Ross, 29, of West Gardiner was indicted in October on 15 charges alleging he abused and sexually assaulted his wife.

Published
November 30, 2022

Palmyra arson case results in grand jury indictment of woman

A Somerset County grand jury this month indicted Alison R. Trask, 44, of Palmyra on several counts following a fire in July.
Published
November 29, 2022

Supervisors of aggrieved trooper say they never asked him to break the law

George Loder is suing state police, alleging he suffered professional retaliation when refused to share information with the FBI, but two of his supervisors say they never asked Loder to break the law.
Published
November 29, 2022

Former Brunswick town councilor facing child pornography charges

Christopher Watkinson resigned from the Brunswick Town Council on Nov. 18 and is on leave from his job at Bowdoin College.
Published
November 28, 2022

Poland man to seek insanity defense in brother’s Thanksgiving Day murder

Judge Tammy Ham-Thompson ordered a mental evaluation to determine whether Justin Butterfield, 34, is competent to stand trial on the murder charge.
Published
November 28, 2022

Augusta police cruiser was unlocked and running, with AR-15 rifle inside, when stolen, according to court documents

Kyle King, 27, who reportedly took the cruiser from the Augusta police station, contacted a dispatcher from the Shaw's Plaza, where a Farmington family said it had a confrontation with him. There is no indication King attempted to use the rifle, which was secured with a gun lock.