The Maine Marine Patrol arrested two fishermen on Thursday after they allegedly assaulted officers who were investigating the overboard drowning death of their crewmate.
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The Marine Patrol received a distress signal over VHF radio at approximately 4:45 p.m. reporting that a man, later identified as Marshal Ames, 57, of North Haven, had fallen overboard in Hurricane Sound near Vinalhaven.
The Marine Patrol responded with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Rockland.
Before they arrived, a Good Samaritan living on Hurricane Island recovered Ames and began CPR.
The man transported Ames to shore on Dyer Island while performing CPR, but Ames was pronounced dead by Vinalhaven emergency responders.
Marine Patrol officers made contact with Geoffrey Barrett, 39, a North Haven commercial fisherman and the captain of Long Faces, the vessel Ames had been on.
An altercation erupted between Barrett and Marine Patrol officers, and Barrett was ultimately arrested and charged with assault. He was also charged with refusal to submit to a chemical test and felony-level boating under the influence following the investigation into Ames’ death.
Another member of the ship’s crew, Theodore Lane, 27, of North Haven, was also arrested and charged with assault and disorderly conduct.
Both suspects were transported to the Knox County Jail.
Ames’ body will be examined by the Office of the Maine Chief Medical Examiner, and the investigation is ongoing with assistance from the Knox District Attorney’s Office and the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit.
