Author: Edward Tomic

Biddeford High School was put on lockdown Friday morning after a reported threat that led to the arrest of an armed man outside of the school, according to authorities. At approximately 9 a.m., a student alerted the school resource officer to a potential threat, prompting an immediate lockdown of Biddeford schools, Chief of Police JoAnne Fisk said Friday. Just minutes after the reported threat reached Biddeford Police, officers arrived at the high school and shortly thereafter arrested 21-year-old Mohammed Hussein Kamaluldeen, a Biddeford resident, who was armed and near the school. Kamaluldeen faces charges for possessing a firearm near a…

U.S. Border Patrol agents in Maine have arrested over a dozen illegal aliens from Ecuador in recent weeks as a result of conducting vehicle stops. On Wednesday, April 23, Houlton Sector Border Patrol agents encountered a vehicle carrying 12 occupants during a traffic stop in Dresden. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson said that 11 of the 12 people in the vehicle were found to be illegal aliens from Ecuador. Those 11 aliens were arrested and transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be processed for further removal proceedings. [RELATED: Border Patrol Finds…

A man convicted of murder in Brazil who illegally entered and hid out in the United States under the Biden administration was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Massachusetts last week. Agents with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston, alongside the FBI, arrested 34-year-old Fernando Antonio Vieira-Martins, a Brazilian fugitive, in Milford, Mass., on May 1. According to ICE, Vieira-Martins fled Brazil after he was convicted in June of 2022 for murder and was given a nearly 25-year prison sentence. Vieira-Martins was able to illegally enter the U.S. over the southern border under the Biden…

Lewiston Police on Monday night responded to a shots fired incident at an affordable housing complex that witnesses described as a drive-by shooting at a vehicle. Police say they responded to the area of Rideout Avenue at about 9 p.m. on Monday for a report of gunshots heard in the area. Upon arrival, police located several neighbors who reported hearing gunshots in the roadway. Police were able to locate several shell casings in the street and found that one bullet had struck a nearby home. Witness reported to police that a vehicle appeared to have shot at another vehicle departing…

During the bad old days of the Soviet Union, a state official could legally shirk punishment by pretending to sick and checking into a hospital. In fact, according to Soviet law, it was illegal to fire someone who was “in hospital.” Born and raised in the former Soviet state of Azerbaijan, Maine state apparatchik Tarlan Ahmadov likely knew this. Understanding this, it comes as little surprise that as public scrutiny mounted over Ahmadov’s virulently anti-Armenian advocacy, a dubious foreign-paid trip he organized for Maine state lawmakers to the authoritarian, now independent Azerbaijan, and possible shilling for a foreign government, Ahmadov…

Portland Police on Tuesday arrested a homeless man who had 18 outstanding warrants for his arrest, including for four felony counts and 19 drug-related charges. Police say that shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, an officer patrolling the area of Congress Square Park recognized an individual who had multiple warrants out for his arrest. The officer approached the subject, identified as 46-year-old Kabir Geiger, an “unhoused” man, and took him into custody without incident. [RELATED: Homeless Man With 8 Warrants Charged with Assault on Portland Cop…] According to Portland Police, six different agencies had warrants out for Geiger’s arrest, including…

A traffic stop in Medway late last month led to two arrests and the seizure of over 30 grams of suspected methamphetamine, fentanyl, cash and multiple Maine public benefit cards, according to the East Millinocket Police Department. East Millinocket Police say that on Saturday, April 26, an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Medway Road in Medway. Police identified the operator of the vehicle as Jessica Richards, 43, of Stacyville, and a passenger of the vehicle as Peter Tardiff, 39, of Dixmont. According to police, the officer’s observations and roadside investigation led to a search of the…

A homeless man who had eight outstanding warrants for his arrest was taken into custody on Monday after allegedly assaulting a Portland Police officer. Portland Police say that they were patrolling the area of the Shaw’s supermarket on Washington Avenue at about 12:18 p.m. on Monday when they recognized an individual who had a number of warrants out for his arrest. According to police, when officers attempted to take the subject into custody, the man began resisting and struck one officer in the head, causing a laceration. The suspect allegedly continued to resist, significantly scratching the neck of the same…

Border Patrol agents in Maine arrested nearly a dozen illegal aliens who were found in a vehicle during a traffic stop in late April. On Wednesday April 23, 2025, Houlton Sector Border Patrol agents encountered a vehicle carrying 12 occupants during a traffic stop, according to a post to Facebook by the Houlton Sector station. Following questioning and record checks, agents determined that 11 of the passengers lacked legal status to be in the U.S. The 11 illegal aliens were arrested and charged under 8 USC 1182, which pertains to inadmissibility violations. Source: Facebook/U.S. Border Patrol Houlton Sector Source: Facebook/U.S.…

The Maine Department of Corrections (DOC), through its Division of Juvenile Services, has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to contract community-based organizations in delivering “restorative justice” services to lessen or dismiss charges against juvenile criminal offenders in York and Cumberland Counties. [RELATED: Two Juvenile Suspects Charged for South Portland Robbery, Alleged Display of Handgun…] The initiative, titled the “Juvenile Justice Restorative Practices Initiative,” is for “justice-involved youth” and “youth-at risk for justice involvement” and involves various discussion-based practices. Those practices, as laid out in the RFP, are expected to include various types of discussion “circles,” called by the department…

Three juvenile suspects are facing felony charges after allegedly participating in an armed robbery at an apartment building in Auburn that led to a 10-hour standoff with police. According to Auburn Police, officers responded to a report of an armed robbery at 133 Lake St. in Auburn at about 4:40 a.m. on Sunday, May 4. [RELATED: Auburn Police Investigate Shooting Involving ‘group of teenagers’…] The alleged victim, a 17-year-old male, told police that he had been robbed of his clothing, shoes, and other personal belongings by individuals brandishing and threatening him with a firearm and a knife. The victim said…

A Dominican national who in 2022 was one of a dozen people charged in a major drug trafficking bust in Massachusetts is now being held on an immigration detainer at a Maine jail. Booking records at the Cumberland County Jail show that Freddy Antonio Baez-Nova, 43, described as a resident of Lawrence, Mass., was taken into federal custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday, May 1. [RELATED: Bay State Hotel Flop House Becomes Hub for Illegal Alien Rape and Domestic Violence on Maura Healey’s Watch…] Despite his residence being listed at Lawrence, Mass., in jail records, the ICE…

A 34-year-old Oregon man was arrested in Bangor on Wednesday after allegedly assaulting a police officer during an altercation at a Main Street business. Bangor Police say that on the morning of Wednesday, April 30, they responded to a report of a person refusing to leave the property of an unnamed business on Main Street. Upon arrival, officers encountered Devin Anderson, 34, of Lebanon, Ore., outside the building. During the confrontation, he allegedly slammed one officer’s head into the pavement, causing a concussion. The injured officer was treated at a local hospital. After subduing Anderson, police took him to Penobscot…

A progressive Maine law firm that represents several school districts throughout the state issued a memo alongside the Maine School Board Association on Friday arguing that Maine school districts are required to continue forcing female athletes to compete against male athletes who claim they are transgender. The email, dated May 2 with the subject line “Title IX FAQ,” was sent to Maine school board chairs and members from MSBA President Faye Anderson, Executive Director Steven Bailey and Drummond Woodsum attorney Melissa Hewey. “This memo was developed in response to questions submitted to the Maine School Superintendents Association following an April…

A Rumford man being held at the Oxford County Jail following his arrest earlier this month on drug charges is facing new felony counts of illegal firearm possession after additional searches executed by police. Rumford Police say that they executed a search warrant at 419 Roxbury Notch Rd. in Roxbury on Wednesday morning in connection to an ongoing criminal investigation into 33-year-old Alexander Taylor Kubesh for drug trafficking and alleged illegal possession of firearms. Photos of Kubesh’s Roxbury property | Source: Rumford Police Department Photos of Kubesh’s Roxbury property | Source: Rumford Police Department Rumford Police, assisted by the Norway…

The Portland Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a man who allegedly lunged out of his car at a 15-year-old girl who was walking home on Wednesday. Police say they responded to the area of Warwick Street for a report of a suspicious male. According to police, a 15-year-old female was walking home when a male subject stopped his vehicle and lunged at her. The girl was able to elude the man and get back to her home safely. The man was described as a white, balding, 60-70 years old and driving a 2009-2010 gold Toyota Corolla,…

The Portland City Council at their next meeting will consider launching a $40,000 indoor soccer program for the asylum-seeking migrants living in the city’s emergency homeless shelters. According a City Council memo, the Maine Community Foundation, a non-profit, has offered to put forward a $10,000 donation to the city to cover the initial costs of launching the migrant soccer program, which is estimated to have a year-round cost of $40,000 following the pilot. [RELATED: Portland Faces State Crackdown Over Welfare Program Violations, GA Over-billing — Risks Losing Millions…] Hearts of Pine, the professional soccer team who launched their inaugural season…

Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) formally notified the City of Portland of multiple violations in its General Assistance (GA) program, following an extensive audit conducted between September 2023 and May 2024. The findings, detailed in an initial notice issued by the Maine DHHS to the city on September 13, 2024, and a final notice on October 18, 2024, highlight significant non-compliance with state statutes and regulations concerning a municipal welfare program. General Assistance is a statewide welfare initiative managed by municipalities that offers vouchers for housing, food, and other essential needs to Maine’s most impoverished residents. Since…

Catholic Charities Maine, one of three refugee resettlement agencies in the state, announced last week that it plans to close its Bangor area refugee services office in response to cuts to federal funding and policy changes by the Trump administration. The nonprofit says it will close its Greater Bangor Refugee & Immigration Services (RIS) office on June 30, 2025. [RELATED: Catholic Charities Maine Touts Taxpayer-Funded Migrant Resettlement Plans…] The decision to close the office stems from the Trump administration’s suspension of refugee resettlement, the loss of federal funding, and Greater Bangor being the area with the smallest concentration of the…

The Portland homeless man who became a media darling and was featured in well over a dozen articles in Maine newspapers prior to his arrest in February as part of a drug trafficking raid on his downtown apartment was arrested again this past weekend. Bruce Cavallaro, 46, an “unhoused” man, was arrested on Saturday, April 26, by Portland Police at 20 Portland St. for criminal trespass and for violating a condition of his release, arrest records show. His status as “unhoused” currently remains in some question. At the time of his February arrest, Cavallaro occupied an apartment in Portland, though…

A Portland woman has been charged with terrorizing after being accused of impersonating a cop and threatening to shoot an alleged victim. Portland Police say they responded to an apartment building at 4 Hill St. for a report of a threat. A resident at the building told police that someone had knocked on her door, claimed to be a police officer and told the resident that she would shoot her if she did not come to the door. Police say that through their investigation they identified a suspect and executed a search warrant at an apartment, resulting in the recovery…

Two 18-year-old suspects who were charged with multiple felony level counts after allegedly robbing two victims at gunpoint at Bug Light Park in South Portland were released after just two days in custody on lowered bail. According to South Portland Police, at about 11:25 p.m. on April 20, officers responded to Bug Light Park at the end of Madison Street to a report of an assault. Police found that two victims had been robbed by two suspects who were known to them, and had personal property taken. Police say the alleged robbers displayed a firearm and used it to strike…

Two juvenile suspects were arrested and charged this week in connection to a robbery of a residence in South Portland that occurred earlier this month. South Portland Police say that on April 14, detectives were made aware of a robbery that had happened at a private residence in the city a few days prior, on April 11. An investigation of the robbery led to the discovery of two suspects, both juveniles, according to police. One of the suspects was reported to have displayed a handgun during the robbery. Police obtained arrest warrants for both juvenile suspects and search warrants for…

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday released immigration data and arrest totals for the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term. According the ICE, the agency has arrested 66,463 illegal aliens and deported 65,682 illegal aliens from the U.S. since Trump took office in January. Three out of four of those arrests were of illegal aliens with criminal records or charges lodged against them, ICE said. The criminal records of the aliens arrested include convictions or charges for 9,639 assaults, 6,398 DWIs or DUIs and 1,479 weapon offenses, according to ICE. “The brave men and women…

Portland residents and business owners are speaking out and asking the City Council for help to address what they say are unsafe and obstructive conditions in Monument Square caused by the presence of homeless people and drug users. A letter to Portland Mayor Mark Dion from David Turin, the owner of David’s Restaurant in Monument Square, was read during the public comment portion at the City Council’s Monday meeting. “Monument Square has become an unsafe place to work or visit, and has become a hostile and expensive environment in which to operate a restaurant,” Turin wrote. [RELATED: Restorative Justice: Homeless Man,…

The body found in the attic of a Grant Street apartment building more than two weeks ago has been identified by police as a 49-year-old man from Portland who had been reported missing. Portland Police were called to 55 Grant St. on the afternoon of April 11, and found a deceased male in the attic area of the building. Police said at the time that the death did not appear suspicious. https://twitter.com/PolicePortland/status/1910853016263012548 On Tuesday, police announced that they had identified the deceased man as 49-year-old Damian Thomas of Portland, who, they say, had previously been reported missing. Police issued a…

The Maine Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee held a public hearing Monday on a bill that proposes to increase state reimbursement for municipalities and Indian tribes administering general assistance programs, and for the biggest spenders in graduated increments over the next five years. General Assistance (GA) is a statewide, municipally administered welfare program that provides vouchers for housing, food, and other essentials to Maine’s poorest residents. LD 978, introduced by State Rep. Samuel Zager (D-Portland), proposes raising the state’s reimbursement rate from the current 70 percent to 90 percent for most municipalities and Indian tribes starting July 1, 2026.…

A Maine man accused of carrying out a violent carjacking in Massachusetts over the weekend has been apprehended in New Jersey, authorities announced Sunday. According to Chief David Clark of the Reading, Mass. Police Department, police received a 911 call shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Saturday reporting that a motor vehicle had been stolen from a person pumping gas at the Shell gas station at 110 Main St. in Reading. Police say that the victim was pumping gas on the passenger side of his black 2022 Range Rover Sport when the suspect pulled up next to another pump in a…

A 67-year-old Wesley man and former school bus driver for the Machias Bay Area School System (AOS 96) has been arrested on six counts of gross sexual assault against a minor. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that they arrested Duane E. Geel of Wesley on a felony arrest warrant issued by the Machias Unified Court following an investigation. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Geel is facing six counts of gross sexual assault allegedly involving a minor victim. Deputies arrested Geel at his home in Wesley on Wednesday without incident. His bail was set at $100,000 cash, with…

A 15-year-old has been arrested in connection to a Tuesday shooting on Bartlett Street in Lewiston. Lewiston Police announced on Thursday that they have charged a 15-year-old male with reckless conduct with a firearm as a result of their investigation into an April 22 shots fired complaint at 188 Bartlett St. On Tuesday, Lewiston Police responded to 188 Bartlett St. to a report of several several gunshots. Officers who responded to the scene found that an apartment at 176 Bartlett St. had been struck by a bullet. Police say there were no injuries reported in either incident. The shooting was…

The owner of a plant store in Lewiston is facing aggravated drug trafficking charges after a search of the property by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) resulted in the seizure of a large amount cocaine, crack cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy) from the business. The MDEA says they had been investigating possible illegal drug trafficking throughout the greater Lewiston-Auburn area by Lewiston resident and business owner Sami-Luqman Muhammad. Muhammad is the owner of The Garden of Via, a plant nursery at 260 Lisbon St. in Lewiston. State business records list Muhammad as the registered agent for “Via the Hub LLC”…

Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) on Thursday signed a proclamation recognizing the Armenian genocide just months after appointed a now-resigned anti-Armenian activist to run her state migrant resettlement office. In December, Gov. Mills appointed Tarlan Ahmadov as the first director of the Maine Office of New Americans (ONA), a taxpayer-funded migrant resettlement office which the Mills administration has said is aimed at helping the administration attract 75,000 new workers to the state over the next five years by facilitating the incorporation of immigrants into the workforce. Ahmadov, himself an immigrant to the U.S. from Azerbaijan, founded the nonprofit Azerbaijan Society of…

Thomas College, a private post-secondary institution in Waterville, Maine, is under scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice following a whistleblower’s report of a group of Chinese national students who entered the U.S. under student visas to enroll at the school for the 2024-2025 academic year, but have since disappeared and are believed to still be in the United States. In a letter to Thomas College President Dr. Jeannine Diddle Uzzi and Board of Trustees Chair Kelley Shimansky, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Edward R. Martin, Jr. requested answers regarding the whereabouts of these students and their compliance…

A Democrat-led bill aimed at softening the criminal possession thresholds for crack cocaine was advanced by the Maine Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee after a work session on Thursday. State Rep. Nina Milliken (D-Blue Hill) sponsored LD 1366, “An Act to Amend Certain Provisions of the Drug Laws Related to Cocaine Base,” to address what she believes to be longstanding injustice in Maine’s drug laws. The bill, cosponsored by Portland Democratic Rep. Grayson Looker, proposes eliminating the stricter criminal possession limits for cocaine base — more commonly referred to as crack cocaine — and to bring them in…

Lewiston Police are investigating a pair of shooting incidents that occurred on the same street over two separate days this week. Police say that shortly after 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, officers responded to the area of 79 Birch St. in Lewiston to a report of gunshots. While they located no suspects or evidence of a shooting in the area, officers later received a call from 184 Bartlett St. for a reported broken window. There officers discovered that the damage to the home was the result of a bullet and recovered evidence to support this, police said. Two days…

The head of U.S. Border Patrol Houlton (USBP) Houlton Sector, Chief Patrol Agent (CPA) Juan Bernal, retired during a ceremony held last week. “On April 17th 2025 the U.S. Border Patrol Houlton Sector held a ceremony to recognize the outstanding service and dedication of its personnel. Awards were presented to agents and staff whose commitment to the mission exemplifies the highest standards of excellence,” USBP Houlton Sector posted to Facebook on Wednesday. “The event also marked the retirement of Chief Patrol Agent Bernal. Chief Bernal’s decades of honorable service and leadership have left a lasting impact on the Border Patrol…

A homeless man is facing a dozen counts of aggravated reckless conduct with a firearm for allegedly firing a handgun toward homes in Benton, Maine State Police announced on Tuesday. Maine State Police say that troopers responded to the area of Unity Road in Benton at about 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday after multiple 911 calls reporting that a man was walking down the road recklessly firing a pistol, including toward homes. Troopers quickly located the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Joseph Costa, and detained him without incident Police say Costa is currently “unhoused” and was found to be in possession of…

An Ecuadorian national now faces federal charges for allegedly attempting to transport a group of illegal aliens through Vermont. On Tuesday, the the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that 34-year-old Manuel Rolando Meza-Cambo was charged by criminal complaint with transporting illegal aliens. Federal prosecutors allege that in the early hours of Saturday, April 19, Meza-Cambo attempted to pick up four illegal aliens along Richford Road in Richford, Vermont. A U.S. Border Patrol agent spotted Meza-Cambo’s minivan before he could pick up the aliens and followed the vehicle until it stopped in the middle of the road, at…

Duke superstar freshman and Newport native Cooper Flagg has confirmed that he is officially entering the NBA draft. Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick, made the announcement in a video shared to his social media on Monday. “Duke fans, my teammates, the brotherhood, and everybody that was along for this journey: it was an incredible year, probably the best year of my life, and I have so much gratitude, I feel so blessed for all the opportunities that I was given,” Flagg said in a video posted to his Instagram, speaking over clips of his freshman year highlights. “Duke has…

Portland Police have made an arrest following a Sunday shooting that left a 36-year-old woman with non-life threatening injuries. Police responded to 72 Oak St. (Oak Street Lofts) in Portland at 8:18 a.m. on Sunday for a report of a shooting inside of an apartment. Upon arrival, police found a 36-year-old female from Portland suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to Maine Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The Portland Police Special Reaction Team and Criminal Investigations Divisions were called in to assist with the investigation. Less than an hour later, police located the suspect near the corner…

A 39-year-old Portland man was arrested early Sunday after a nearly two-hour standoff with police, during which he threatened officers with a gun and wielded multiple weapons, authorities said. Shortly after 5 a.m. on Sunday, Portland Police observed a motorhome illegally parked and blocking traffic in the area of Elm and Lancaster streets in the city’s Bayside neighborhood. When officers attempted to contact the occupant, the man allegedly threatened to produce a gun and locked himself in the motorhome’s bathroom, police said. Efforts to persuade the man to exit were unsuccessful, prompting officers to deploy pepper balls into the vehicle.…

Democratic lawmakers in the Maine House of Representatives on Thursday voted down a bill that would have shifted the financial burden of testing illegal drugs as part of criminal cases from the state’s taxpayers to convicted drug traffickers. LD 717, An Act to Amend the Maine Criminal Code Governing Restitution to Include the Costs of All Analyses of Suspected Illegal Drugs, was sponsored by Republican State Rep. Steven Bishop of Bucksport. “The purpose of LD 717 is to remove the cost of criminal actions from the responsibility of Maine taxpayers,” Rep. Bishop told the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety…

The Auburn Police Department’s Proactive Community Enforcement (PACE) Unit this week executed a search warrant at a Seventh Street residence, resulting in two arrests and the seizure of over 20 grams of crystal methamphetamine. Police say the operation followed an investigation into drug activities at the home. During a search of the residence Thursday morning, police seized approximately 24 grams of crystal methamphetamine. Crystal methamphetamine seized during a search of the Seventh Street residence | Source: Auburn Police Department Authorities arrested 41-year old Jeffrey Bartos and 37-year old Miranda Loggans, who were both transported to the Androscoggin County Jail. Jeffrey…

A Rumford woman accused of elder abuse and financial exploitation for allegedly stealing more than $1,000 from an elderly relative for whom she was the primary caretaker was arrested on multiple felony charges on Tuesday. Rumford Police arrested Sharon Gardner, 59, of Rumford, on charges of Class C theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, Class D misuse of identification and Class C endangering the welfare of a dependent person. Sharon Gardner, 59, of Rumford | Source: Rumford Police Department According to police, Gardner’s arrest comes after a two-week investigation into allegations of elder abuse and financial exploitation, conducted alongside Rumford…

Tarlan Ahmadov stepped down as director of the Maine Office of New Americans in early April — just three months after his appointment to the position by Governor Janet Mills — officially citing health concerns, following scrutiny over his anti-Armenian social media activity and ties to Azerbaijan uncovered by The Maine Wire. However, sources reveal that the divisive Ahmadov has quietly returned to his prior role at the Maine Department of Labor, casting doubt on the stated reasons for his resignation that have now been repeated by top officials within the Mills administration. Ahmadov resigned from his position of director…

Over the past year, Maine has seen a series of high-profile raids on Chinese-run massage parlors suspected of operating as fronts for sex trafficking and forced labor. These operations, in at least two instances were being run by Chinese illegal aliens, have drawn significant attention from local and federal law enforcement. From Rockland to Lewiston to Portland, these businesses, often branded as “Asian Massage” or similar, have been linked to organized crime, exploitation of vulnerable immigrants, and systemic coercion. What follows is a summary of what law enforcement, in some cases with assistance from The Maine Wire, has discovered to…

Rumford Police arrested both a fugitive who had been evading law enforcement for nearly a year and a domestic violence suspect after a standoff in two separate incidents on Wednesday. According to Rumford Police, a plain-clothes detective observed Jesse Robert Farrington, 41, a known fugitive, entering a vehicle on Andover Road in Rumford Center. Police say Farrington had been evading law enforcement since the summer of 2024, and had previously fled from a Maine State Police trooper during an attempted arrest at the Community Quick Stop on Route 2 in Rumford after he was found to be violating the terms…

A report of shots fired in the Town of Paris on Wednesday led to a high-speed police chase involving multiple law enforcement agencies and the arrest of a Massachusetts man, the Maine State Police announced Thursday. Shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Oxford County Regional Communications Center received a report of several shots fired on Park Street in Paris. Maine State Police say a trooper in the area responded to the scene to assist and observed a blue SUV leaving the immediate area. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle in West Paris, but police say the driver refused to…

A Salvadoran national living illegally in United States and whom federal authorities say is a member of the violent Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, a designated foreign terrorist organization, was arrested Tuesday in Portland by Border Patrol agents. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Wednesday that the Border Patrol’s Anti-Smuggling Unit (ASU) identified the 27-year-old El Salvadoran national and found that he was illegally present in the United States. The ASU agents discovered the subject’s suspected gang affiliation to MS-13, and then identified his location as being in Portland, Maine, where Border Patrol agents arrested him on April 15,…

Two individuals out on bail were arrested in Rockland on Monday after police found fentanyl in their vehicle during a traffic stop. Rockland Police say that at around 9 p.m. on Monday officers stopped a vehicle for traffic violations while conducting proactive patrols around a suspected drug trafficking location. At that time, police found that several of the individuals inside of the vehicle were out on bail conditions. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of just over three grams of fentanyl, along with smaller amounts of other suspected illegal drugs. Annie Gross, 37, of Warren, was arrested…

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office arrested three people and seized $40,000 in drugs, including enough fentanyl to supply 185,000 lethal doses, during a raid at a home in Fairfield on Wednesday. At about 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division, with assistance from Waterville Police, executed a search warrant at a residence on Crane Drive in Fairfield. The Sheriff’s Office said the search warrant was obtained following a months-long investigation into suspected drug trafficking at the residence. During the search of the residence, over 370 grams of Fentanyl and crack cocaine, controlled pills, a large bottle…

A Dominican illegal alien who was previously deported from the United States has been arrested in Massachusetts and charged with conspiring to distribute tens of thousands of fentanyl pills. Juan Alexis Rodriguez Garcia, 35, who was unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass., was arrested Tuesday morning and charged federally with conspiracy to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl and unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He was ordered detained following his initial appearance at a federal court in Boston. According to charging documents, Rodriguez Garcia was admitted into the U.S. in December 2009 as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) in Puerto Rico. …

A Biddeford man will serve as long as a decade in federal prison for possessing hundreds of child sexual abuse images on devices at his home, a judge ruled on Monday. U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen in Portland sentenced Jeffrey Gray, 63, to 10 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Gray previously pleaded guilty to the possession of child sexual abuse materials in February 2023. According to court records, federal agents executed a search warrant at Gray’s Biddeford residence in September 2022 on the basis of reports that he had shared child sexual abuse…

A fugitive investigation by the U.S. Marshal’s Service (USMS) on Friday resulted in the arrests of three people in Biddeford on drug and firearm charges in a coordinated effort with local law enforcement. USMS said in a Saturday press release that they received investigative leads from the Biddeford Police Department indicating that 20-year-old Tyler Langille, who was wanted on a state warrant for possession of a stolen firearm, assault and drug possession, was living at a residence in Biddeford. The U.S. Marshals’ Violent Offender Task Force, comprising members of the USMS, Biddeford Police, Maine Department of Corrections, U.S. Border Patrol…

A Chinese national who in 2023 was arrested for sexual assault at a massage parlor he owned in Ellsworth is now being held in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Booking records at the Cumberland County Jail show that Chunze Xu, 65, was taken into custody by ICE on Saturday, April 12, and is being held on an immigration detainer. Chunze Xu, 65 | Source: Cumberland County Jail ICE uses immigration detainers against unlawfully present noncitizens who have been arrested on criminal charges and who the agency has probable cause to believe are deportable from the U.S.…

The Buxton man accused of raping a 15-year-old female student in the unisex bathroom of Bonny Eagle High School in Standish was almost caught with illegal drugs on school property just one day after the alleged sexual assault. But the public school principal instead told Ali K. Al-Shammari, 19, to keep his money safe and told him to leave his office, according to social media posts sent by Al-Shammari and obtained by the Maine Wire. Al-Shammari was arrested in February by the Buxton Police Department and charged with two counts of gross sexual assault. He was released from jail just…

The Portland City Council’s Health and Human Services Committee met on Thursday to discuss various options related to how the city can continue operation of its homeless warming and cooling shelters. Portland partners with private organizations that receive funding from the Maine State Housing Authority (MaineHousing) to operate a cooling shelter in the summer months and a warming shelter in the winter months. The warming and cooling shelters are classified as low-barrier shelters, meaning they can be used by individuals actively using illegal drugs, and do not require residents to submit to criminal background checks, to provide identification or income…

The Portland Police Department say they grappling with an “alarming” surge in drug overdoses, reporting very recent eight cases in a less than 24 hour period, two of which were fatal. The department issued a press release Friday afternoon stating they have seen a recent increase in drug overdoses. According to police, the city has seen 129 overdoses in 2025 so far, with six fatalities. During the same time period last year, the city saw 167 overdoses and six fatalities. Relative to overall instances, the lethality has increased in a year-to-year comparison. [RELATED: Portland’s Syringe ‘Buyback’ Program Shows Early Success…

An Ecuadorian national stopped by Brunswick Police in January for driving without a seatbelt has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally reentering the United States after a prior removal. According to court records, 37-year-old Juan Pablo Clabijo Tacuri was observed operating a vehicle without a seatbelt by Brunswick Police on Jan. 27. The Brunswick Police officer approached Clabijo Tacuri after he pulled into a gas station parking lot. [RELATED: Illegal Ecuadorian National Arrested for OUI in Maine Now in ICE Custody…] When asked for his license, Clabijo Tacuri presented a Massachusetts driver’s license with a false name, court records…

A new Democrat-led bill proposes a study of aligning the state’s procurement processes with the Mills’ administration’s climate action plan, amid recent revelations of systemic oversight failures in the state’s issuance no-bid contracts. LD 1494, or a resolution “Directing the Office of Procurement Services to Study Adapting the Procurement Process to the State Climate Action Plan,” is sponsored by Democratic State Rep. Victoria Doudera of Camden and cosponsored by eight other Democratic state lawmakers. [RELATED: Mills’ Millions: Maine Taxpayers Foot Bill for Absurd No-Bid Contracts…] The bill would direct the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services’ (DAFS) Office of State…

Two brothers are both facing criminal charges for operating under the influence (OUI) after police say they admitted to driving the same car while drunk. Bangor Police say they received a report of a car driving erratically on outer Broadway at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday. Witnesses told police that they had observed the vehicle pull over and the man who had been driving moved to the passenger seat, while the man in the passenger seat moved to the driver’s seat. Police located the two men, identified as brothers Manoach Bizumuremyi, 27, and Muhoza Bizumuremyi, 28, while they were standing…

The Sanford Police Department is investigating a Wednesday stabbing that left one victim with non-life threatening injuries. On Wednesday, April 9 at about 7:30 a.m., Sanford Police responded to a reported disturbance reported on Bodwell Street. [RELATED: Sanford Police Hunt for Suspect in Dollar Store Stabbing…] Upon arrival at the scene, officers discovered a male victim who had sustained a stab wound. Police say the victim was treated at Maine Medical Center in Sanford and that his injuries were not life-threatening “We would like to thank the staff for their prompt and professional emergency care,” Sanford Police wrote in a…

A Massachusetts man was arrested in Auburn this week after being found by police in possession of cocaine, fentanyl, a firearm and over $1,000 in suspected drug proceeds. Auburn Police announced on Wednesday that their Proactive Community Enforcement (PACE) Unit had been investigating suspected drug trafficking activity taking place at 114 Hampshire St. in Auburn. On Tuesday, officers working on the investigation observed a suspect leave the residence at about 6:45 p.m. and enter a vehicle. Police conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, which was being used as a ride share vehicle for Uber, and identified the rear seat…

A traffic stop in South Portland and subsequent search led to the seizure of over 150 grams of fentanyl, two firearms and the arrest of a man on multiple felony charges. South Portland Police say that officers conducted a routine traffic stop at about 1 a.m. on Sunday in the area of Gorham Road and Clarks Pond Parkway. The operator of the vehicle was identified as Michael Myrick, 47, of South Portland. During a search of the vehicle, officers found a handgun, 159.2 grams of fentanyl, 7.2 grams of cocaine base (crack cocaine) and 12.8 grams of methamphetamine. The U.S.…

The ranking Republican lawmakers on the Maine Legislature’s Appropriations Committee have come out against a bill that would increase MaineCare coverage for noncitizens. “We, the ranking Republican members of the Joint Standing Committee onAppropriations and Financial Affairs, write in opposition to LD 782, ‘An Act to AmendMaineCare Financial Eligibility Requirements,'” wrote State Sen. Susan Bernard (R-Aroostook) and Rep. Jack Ducharme (R-Madison) in a Wednesday letter to the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee. “This bill proposes increasing the income and asset limits for several MaineCarepopulations and expanding the population of noncitizens eligible for MaineCare aged 20 and younger to those…

The Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous & Tribal Populations (PCRITP), Maine’s taxpayer-funded racial equity board, is getting kicked out of their office space by the building’s new owner. The Permanent Commission was established by the Legislature in 2019 as a result of a bill sponsored by former House Speaker and now State Senator Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) — although according to meeting minutes published by the commission, Talbot Ross was absent from nearly all of the commission’s 2024 meetings. [RELATED: Rachel Talbot Ross Has Not Been to a Meeting of Her Own DEI Commission for Six Months…] The commission voted in…

A Sudanese refugee with multiple prior convictions in Maine, including criminal threatening with a firearm, assault, driving while intoxicated and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, as well as a previous charge for his alleged involvement in a 2012 gang rape in Portland, has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges. Francis Wilson Mezan, 34, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland to three counts of drug distribution. According to federal prosecutors, Mezan sold cocaine and cocaine base (crack cocaine) to a confidential source on three separate occasions in the summer of 2024. Those transactions were caught on…

The Department of the Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations and Commissions will be paying $10,000 in taxpayer funds for a two-day “emotional intelligence” training seminar. The Department last week posted a Notice of Intent to Waive Competitive Bidding (NOI) document revealing that they will enter into a no-bid contract with the Missouri-based Graceland University’s SkillPath Leadership Workshop for 80 of their employees, at a cost of $125 per person. [RELATED: Mills’ Millions: Maine Taxpayers Foot Bill for Absurd No-Bid Contracts…] “The Leadership Workshop: Building Emotional Intelligence is a two-day training hosted by SkillPath designed to help leaders improve key…

A Maine man was taken into protective custody by law enforcement after witnesses reported that he had emerged naked from a wooded area in between Bridgton and Sweden while carrying a rifle. On Monday, April 7, the Oxford County Regional Communications Center received a report of a naked male subject who was seen by witnesses coming out of the woods carrying a rifle along Knights Hill Road. Witnesses told Oxford County Sheriff’s deputies that the man was covered in mud and other debris and interacted with several contractors working at a nearby jobsite. The male subject reportedly emerged from the…

A Waldoboro man out on bail for charges of domestic violence strangulation and gross sexual assault against a child was arrested last week on over a dozen counts related to crimes of sexual violence against a child under 12. Rumford Police say they arrested 32-year-old Dylan J. Willey of Waldoboro on Thursday morning in Lewiston. The arrest comes after Rumford Police were alerted to Willey’s arrest last month by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office on charges of felony domestic violence strangulation and gross sexual assault against a child under 12. Willey had been released on bail pending his trial. During…

After fielding complaints from the community for several months about suspected drug trafficking out of a home in Auburn, police raided the property last week, resulting in the seizure of an estimated $90,000 worth of illegal drugs — including over four pounds of crystal methamphetamine. Auburn Police say that they had been investigating the home on Country Club Drive in Auburn for several months and had connected a resident of the home, 41-year-old Luke Merriam, to the suspected illegal drug activity. Police say Merriam was out on bail conditions for a previous drug trafficking charge from November of last year.…

The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) announced the arrest of two men on Tuesday at a residence in Dixfield following a two-month investigation into illegal drug trafficking. Kenneth McCoullum, 33, of Portland, and Joshua Campbell, 38, of Dixfield, face multiple charges, including aggravated trafficking in Schedule W drugs (cocaine), after a search warrant was executed at Campbell’s home at 57B High Street in Dixfield. The MDEA says they had been conducting an investigation into potential illegal drug trafficking from the Dixfield home for the past two months, and were able to conduct undercover purchases of illegal drugs, including of crack…

A Portland homeless man is facing multiple charges after allegedly assaulting a victim with a brick and threatening another person with a knife. [RELATED: Restorative Justice: Homeless Man, Previously Charged with Portland Machete and Knife Attacks, Arrested Again for Assault, Burglary…] Portland Police say they responded to 5 Portland St. at about 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday for a report of an assault had taken place earlier that day. Witnesses told police that a suspect had thrown a brick at a victim before proceeding to assault him, and that the suspect had threatened another individual with a knife. Police say that…

A Venezuelan national believed to be affiliated with the transnational criminal street gang Tren de Aragua has been arrested in Maine for theft and turned over to federal immigration agents. U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) on Tuesday announced that on Sunday, March 30, a Venezuelan national was arrested for theft in Maine and was subsequently turned over to Border Patrol agents. Source: U.S. Border Patrol/Facebook “Record checks revealed his affiliation with the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, known for violent crimes including theft, robbery, and shoplifting,” the agency wrote in a Tuesday post to social media. According to USBP, the Venezuelan…

A Honduran national who was previously deported from the United States in 2015 after illegally crossing the southern border has now pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the country, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced on Tuesday. Jose Luis Matute-Duarte, 35, a citizen of Honduras, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to illegally entering a U.S. after a prior removal, a federal crime punishable by up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. According to federal prosecutors, in March Matute-Duarte was approached outside of a Brownville convenience store by…

A 33-year-old Portland man is facing multiple charges after allegedly attempting to stab a victim and steal the victim’s car Wednesday night. Portland Police say they responded to the area of Commercial and High Streets shortly before 8:55 p.m. on Wednesday for a report of a motor vehicle theft and an attempted stabbing. The suspect, 33-year-old Seth Mccallum of Portland, was found in the area wielding a knife and was taken into custody by police. According to Portland Police, witnesses stated that Mccallum attempted to stab the victim, before getting into the victim’s vehicle and driving a short distance. Mccallum…

The Maine Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee held a timely public hearing before on Wednesday to allow for input on a bill with bipartisan support aimed at increasing transparency and accountability regarding the state’s issuance of sole-source non-competitive contracts. The proposed bill, LD 875 or “An Act to Increase Government Transparency in the Procurement of Goods and Services,” sponsored by Republican State Rep. David Boyer of Poland, comes after a devastating audit report published last week by Maine’s Office of the State Auditor revealed systemic procedural and oversight issues in the state’s use of the non-competitive bidding process. State…

In a textbook case of swallowing government spin whole, the Portland Press Herald on Tuesday published a story on the resignation of Tarlan Ahmadov, the embattled director of Maine’s Office of New Americans (ONA), without so much as a whiff of skepticism. Ahmadov, who stepped down on Tuesday, cited “personal health reasons” in his resignation letter—a convenient excuse that the Press Herald dutifully parroted while going to great lengths not to mention or attribute the allegations of bias and corruption against Ahmadov to reporting done by the Maine Wire regarding Ahmadov in recent months. “After careful consideration and due to…

Three people were arrested and over 250 grams of cocaine were seized by police on Sunday after a search Portland apartment complex. Portland Police say they executed a search warrant at 211 Cumberland Avenue, the Franklin Towers apartment building, at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected drug trafficking at the building. [RELATED: Restorative Justice: Homeless Man, Previously Charged with Portland Machete and Knife Attacks, Arrested Again for Assault, Burglary…] Police say their Special Reaction Team (SRT) assisted in the execution of the warrant to “ensure a safe and controlled operation.” Noorhuessein Ibrahim, 39, of Westbrook,…

A group of Republican Maine state senators on Monday sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi requesting an investigation into the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS) and its Office of State Procurement Services (OSPS) following the release of a devastating audit. The letter, signed by 14 Republican senators, including Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook) and Assistant Republican Leader Matthew Harrington (R-York), cites the “grave findings” of the 2024 Single Audit Report published by State Auditor Matthew Dunlap last Friday. “This report reveals systemic failures in oversight, apparent violations of federal and state procurement laws,…

Radically different testimonies from a politician and a prosecutor before a legislative committee in Augusta this week cast doubt on whether an initiative to ban life sentences in Maine will get far. After the Democratic state representative who proposed the measure told the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee that she did not speak to any victims of prisoners serving life sentences in Maine while conceiving her bill to ban life sentences in the state, a Penobscot County prosecutor testified to the horrific details of an attempted murder in which she argued for and received a life sentence conviction. On Monday, State Rep.…

A Medford man who is a lifetime Maine sex offender registrant for multiple convictions of sexual abuse against minors has been found guilty on new charges and was sentenced to over a year in jail. [RELATED: Lewiston Sex Offender Arrested in Undercover Sting While Attempting to Meet a Minor…] According to the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office, in October 2023, an investigation was opened into a report from two minor females living in Medford that a local man had exposed himself and touched them in a sexual manner. After over a year-long investigation, the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office authorized an arrest…

A Saco man has been charged with felony theft after allegedly stealing an ATM from a business in Westbrook. “In something you only think you see on TV, an ATM was stolen from a business during the middle of a busy weekday,” Westbrook Police wrote in a post to their Facebook page on Monday. Westbrook Police say an investigation into the theft by detectives led them to a residence in Saco, where a search resulted in some of the stolen money from the ATM being located, along with the burglar tools that were used to take down the cash machine.…

A first-term Maine Democratic lawmaker has introduced a bill that would prohibit the state from investing public funds or entering into contracts with companies, persons or other entities associated with “perpetrator states” that have been found by international organizations to have committed “apartheid, ethnic cleansing, genocide or a war crime.” The bill, LD 1383, entitled “An Act to Require State Divestment from Perpetrators ofInternational Human Rights Violations,” is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Rafael Macias of Topsham, and is cosponsored by seven of his House Democrat colleagues. The bill cites definitions for “apartheid,” “genocide” and “war crime” from the Rome Statute…

A Hartford man was shot and killed by Oxford County Sheriff’s deputies during a domestic assault incident after the man allegedly advanced towards the deputies with a knife. According to the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, shortly after 4:40 p.m. on Sunday, Oxford and Androscoggin County deputies responded to 911 call from an 80-year-old man reporting a domestic assault at 229 Tucker Rd. in Hartford by his step son, 51-year-old Eric Newell. Attempts to de-escalate the situation with Newell were unsuccessful, and Newell exited the residence and advanced toward the deputies armed with a knife, the Sheriff’s Office said. Oxford Deputies…

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers in Maine have sponsored a bill that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of psilocybin for persons 21 and older. Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain types of mushrooms, often called “magic mushrooms.” The proposed bill, “An Act to Decriminalize Personal Possession of Therapeutic Amounts of Psilocybin for Adults,” introduced by State Rep. Grayson Lookner (D-Portland), would add an exception for psilocybin to Maine’s list of Schedule X drugs. Under current state law, possession of a Schedule X drug, which includes psilocybin, ketamine, DMT, mescaline, hashish and other drugs,…

Portland Police say they are investigating a Sunday morning stabbing incident on Portland Street that left one man injured. Police say they responded to 45 Portland Street, the address of Dyer’s Variety Store in the city’s Bayside neighborhood, shortly before 6:30 a.m. on Sunday. [RELATED: Longtime Bayside Resident Says She was Victim of Brutal Mugging, Warns Women not to Walk Alone in Neighborhood…] Upon arrival at the scene, officers found a 45-year-old man suffering from multiple stab wounds. The victim was transported to Maine Medical Center where he was treated and has been release, police said. Portland Police say they…

The Portland Public School Board will be considering changes to its multiple equity-related policies in order to avoid an appearance of racial discrimination in its hiring practices. Portland Superintendent Ryan Scallon foreshadowed the revisions to the district’s equity policy at the board’s March 18 meeting, saying that the policies, initially approved in 2021, would need to be revised in light of the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision “determining that race-conscious affirmative action in college admission is unconstitutional.” [RELATED: Portland Superintendent Doubles Down on Allowing Boys in Girls’ Sports and Bathrooms, Comparing to Civil Rights and Women’s Suffrage Movements…] “These revisions…

Chief Patrol Agent Juan Bernal, the U.S. Border Patrol’s top official in Maine’s Houlton Sector, on Monday released a promotional video highlighting the agency’s commitment to combatting illegal immigration and human smuggling across the northern border. [RELATED: ‘Whiteouts, dangerous cold, and hazardous terrain’: Maine’s Chief Border Patrol Agent Warns Against Illegal Crossings…] “The time for looking the other way is over, Houlton Sector is back in the saddle and looking for work,” wrote Bernal in the caption of the video, posted to the Houlton Sector’s Facebook page. WATCH: In the video, Chief Patrol Agent Juan Bernal says he will “highlight…

An Eddington man was arrested on Tuesday in connection to social media posts in which he allegedly made threats against Jews, politicians, the Supreme Court and others. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced on Tuesday that Thadius Wind, 50, of Eddington, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with transmitting an interstate threat. Prosecutors allege in the complaint that in 2024, the FBI received a tip from Meta, Facebook’s parent company, about a Facebook user who had discussed committing violence against police and military. The FBI also received tips from the public about threatening statements made…

The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) has sponsored a pilot computer programming training project specifically targeted to “historically marginalized racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse youth.” The project, entitled “Pathways to Software Engineering,” is funded by a grant from the DECD to the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC), a statewide network of over 100 immigrant advocacy nonprofit organizations. MIRC has partnered with Boston-based Resilient Coders, the boutique recruiting firm IntWork — which matches employers primarily with “BIPOC, bilingual, & immigrant” candidates — the Delmar Group, and Blueprint Maine. “This collaborative effort will train historically marginalized racially, ethnically, and…

A former student at Bonny Eagle High School in Standish is facing two counts of gross sexual assault for allegedly raping a 15-year-old victim in the school bathroom. Ali Kareem Al Shammari, 19, of Buxton, was arrested in late February of this year on two counts of gross sexual assault and was booked at the Cumberland County Jail. Arrest records from Buxton Police indicate that Al Shammari was taken into custody on a warrant shortly before 5 p.m. on Feb. 19 near his residence on Albert Circle in Buxton. Shammari was released from the jail on Feb. 25 on $2,500…

Tarlan Ahmadov, the director of the Maine Office of New Americans (ONA) who has recently faced calls for his resignation over his history of making anti-Armenian comments on social media and for taking several Maine lawmakers on a eyebrow-raising gift trip to Azerbaijan, appears to be vacationing at a ritzy lakeside Italian resort. [RELATED: Did Janet Mills Hire an Unregistered Foreign Agent to Run Maine’s New Migrant Office?…] Last Thursday, Ahmadov uploaded a new cover photo to his Facebook account showing a picture taken at Lake Como, Italy, a glacial lake nestled among the Alps in northern Italy renowned as…

An illegal alien was among two New York-based individuals who were arrested in Auburn on Thursday in connection to a spree of retail thefts across Maine. According to Auburn Police, at about 11:20 a.m. on Thursday, officers located a vehicle on Washington Street that was being sought in connection to several organized retail thefts around the state. Police say that the two male occupants refused to stop for police and continued to drive toward the Maine Turnpike, while the occupants began to throw items out of the vehicle into the roadway. The items, later recovered by the police, were determined…

An illegal alien from Uganda who was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration after trying to enter illegally has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after he was charged with assaulting a pregnant woman, the agency announced Thursday. Gedion Masunsu, 28, a Ugandan national living illegally in the U.S. was charged in Massachusetts with two counts of assault and battery on a pregnant victim and destruction of property. He was taken into ICE custody on Jan. 25 in Waltham, Mass. According to ICE, Masunsu attempted to enter the U.S. with an expired visa at Boston…

Three illegal aliens from the People’s Republic of China are currently being held in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Maine’s Cumberland County Jail. Fengqing Qu, 43, Huiguang Qu, 45 and Yuying Qiu, 47, were all booked at the Cumberland County Jail on Wednesday, March 19. [RELATED: ICE Reveals New Details on Chinese Illegal Alien Charged with Sex Trafficking out of Rockland Massage Parlor…] Booking records indicate that all three inmates are being held on ICE immigrant detainers. ICE lodges immigration detainers against unlawfully present noncitizens who have been arrested on criminal charges or who the…

Portland Public Schools Superintendent Ryan Scallon on Tuesday doubled down on the district’s commitment to “equity” and to continue allowing transgender-identifying boys to participate in girls’ sports, comparing the controversial political climate surrounding the issue to the civil rights and women’s suffrage movements. In a nearly 20-minute speech to the school board during their Tuesday meeting, Scallon, who was hired as the district’s superintendent in June 2023, affirmed Portland Schools’ mission of “equity,” specifically when it comes to closing achievement gaps for students learning English and for the participation of transgender students in sports. Watch a clip of Portland Superintendent…

A Stoneham woman was arrested this week after allegedly speeding near an elementary school and leading an Oxford County Sheriff’s deputy on an 11-mile chase. According to the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, shortly before 8 a.m. on Wednesday a deputy was conducting a traffic enforcement detail near the New Suncook School in Lovell when she observed a red Jeep Cherokee being driven in a reckless and unsafe manner. The deputy suspected that the driver may have been impaired and attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the Jeep, activating her lights and sirens, but the driver refused to pull over…

Three Dominican nationals were arrested Wednesday morning and charged in connection to an alleged conspiracy to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine in Nashua, N.H., acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announced. Elizardo Escaria Delison, 32, Belisario Luis Delison, 49, and Rayddy Delison De Aza, 28, all of the Dominican Republic, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances. All three suspects are due to appear in federal court on Wednesday. [RELATED: Dominican National Charged with Fentanyl Trafficking in Maine is Illegal Alien with Pending Deportation Case…] According to federal prosecutors, over…

On Tuesday, Portland Police took three suspects into custody accused of displaying handguns and making threats against an individual at a mosque on Forest Avenue. Police say they responded to the Cumberland Islamic Center at 1844 Forest Avenue shortly after 9 p.m. on Tuesday for a weapons possession call. [RELATED: Shooting Outside Lewiston Mosque Disrupts Ramadan Service, Leaves 19-year-old Injured…] Witnesses told police that three individuals in a black BMW vehicle pulled up to the front entrance of the mosque, and that two of the occupants displayed handguns and made threatening remarks towards an individual. According to the mosque’s Facebook…