contact@westernmaine.com
PO Box 102, West Paris, ME 04289
Because the people deserve to know
Norway struggles with tax reval as property owners howl at soaring tax bills ...he defended his house with a shotgun, judge ponders how much prison he should get...hard luck homeowner has 30 days to tear down burned house or town will do it and bill her..
Listen to the weekly news podcast here:
Because the people deserve to know.
The news for
Western Maine
The Scanner Log
92 year old's medical alarm brings first responders to church ... woman with broken arm walked out of woods ... fireworks burn boat, threaten woods
Real Estate News
Recent real estate sales in Western Maine from the records of the county registry and state and local records
Court News
4' 11" woman in court after battling husband and police ...Dangling rearview mirror thingies cause drug dealer to get caught in Rumford...Knife play between father and son lands son in court .... Road rage incident in 2025 ties man up in court until 2028
Coming Events
Community activities in western Maine
Audio Reports
The town of Denmark could become the first town in Maine since 2009 to say no to allowing Poland Spring to extract spring water within its town limits. A summer long series of public hearings continues as townspeople and the selectboard try to figure out what to do.
With aging dams, it's fix them before they fail. The experience of the town of Oxford in replacing the 166-year-old Welchville dam shows that it takes persistence.
The well known Mollyocket Motel on Rt. 26 in Woodstock went under the auctioneer's gavel last month. Here's what it sounded like and who won the auction.
The professsion of town manager in western Maine used to be an all male affair. In the last few years, there's been a remarkable turn around and now almost the opposite is true. Women outnumber men three to one in the job. Local town managers share their thoughts.
Latest news
Jail break attempt sinks
attempt at bail reduction
AN ATTEMPTED JAIL BREAK cost a Norway woman with a lengthy criminal record the chance to get reduced bail conditions September 4. Lindsay Clark, 46, was before Judge Andrew Robinson with a de novo bail hearing asking that the $100 cash bail requirement from her August 19 arrest for possession of drugs and violation of conditions of release, be lifted. "I don't think she could even raise $5 at this point," the defense attorney stated, noting that she is homeless. Her most recent arrest came after Norway police responded to complaints of a woman going through parked cars and stealing milk from Cumberland Farms in Norway. Allowed to search her under the conditions of her prior release, police found a packet of white powder, which did later test as sugar, but also drug paraphrenalia. Judge Sarah Churchill imposed $100 cash bail or personal recognizance if she could find a rehab facility. She has been held in the Oxford County jail since that time.
On September 4, the district attorney objected to lifting bail, telling the judge that Clark had attempted a jail break shortly after being jailed. When inmates were brought to an outside area for exercise, he stated, Clark attempted to jump the chain link fence even though it has razor wire on it. She refused to stop climbing until the guards used tear gas to get her down. She was treated for injuries caused by the razor wire as well as the tear gas irritation.
Judge Robinson, noting he had been inclined to grant the request to lift the cash bail, then stated that, given the attempt to escape, he would deny it instead. She may be able to leave jail on a "bed to bed" transfer under the terms of the original bail ruling, and apparently could still pay the original $100 and be released. Otherwise she will remain at the Oxford County jail until her next court date, December 4.
Police stop man before Hogan Pond incident becomes horror movie scenario
It's a scenario out of a bad movie – a bunch of innocent kids on a beach, playing in the water when suddenly a strange man looms toward them, carrying a knife and threatening to kill them. Except it wasn't a movie September 4 at Dunn's Camp on Hogan Pond in Oxford. A group of children and a few adult chaperons from a church camp at Dunn's were playing on the beach when, according to Oxford police, Christopher Learned, 47, of Oxford, loomed toward them, cursing at them and displaying a knife. Police reported he threatened to kill them and burn the camp down. According to police, Learned was the occupant of another camp further down the beach. When they arrived, they found him, the report says, intoxicated, carrying the knife and “drinking an alcoholic beverage.” They disarmed him and arrested him, charging him with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and terrorizing. Learned, who has an extensive record of previous criminal charges, appeared in Oxford County district court September 8 and was ordered held on $2,000 cash bail pending a return to court later this fall. As of September 10, he hadn't met bail and was still being held in Oxford County jail.
Brownfield man shot in hands by police
forbidden to go back to Brownfield
The Brownfield man shot in the hands at his home by an Oxford County Sheriff's deputy appeared in Oxford County District Court September 2 and was issued conditions by the judge that he is forbidden not only to go back to his home until his case is resolved, but that he not go back to the town of Brownfield at all during that time.
Police had been called to the home of Aric Junkins, 40, with the report that he was “chasing his wife around with a gun,” according to a release from the Sheriff's Department. When they arrived, they found Junkins displaying what looked like a weapon. Sheriff's deputy Andre Chasse opened fire on him, hitting him in the hands. Aric was holding, it turned out, a BB gun. Junkins wife, Heather, disputes that it was a domestic violence incident, but has stated instead that it was a suicidal crisis her husband was experiencing due to diabetes medication he takes. She has criticized the police action on Facebook and in interviews with the press.
Junkins was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he underwent reconstructive surgery on his hands. His wife was kept informed of his treatment, but was not allowed to speak to him directly. During that time, customary to usual practice, Maine authorities took no action to pursue charges, even though they had been announced.
Junkins was released from Mass General last week and taken to the Togus VA hospital in Augusta. There, on August 31, Oxford County deputies took him into custody again. Junkins appeared in court September 2 via Zoom from the Oxford County jail, facing an indictment on three charges of domestic violence, plus two charges of criminal threatening as the result of displaying the bb gun toward the police. No plea was entered on the charges since the case is headed for the grand jury where the plea will be lodged. In the meantime, Judge Julia Pitney set his bail conditions as personal recognizance but with house arrest at Togus, where he will be returned for further treatment. At the behest of defense attorney Maurice Porter, the judge amended the conditions to allow Junkins to leave Togus for future court appointments, and, when Porter told her that Junkins needed to return to Mass General for further hand surgery September 8, she added that he could leave for any necessary medical appointments.
He is to have no contact with his wife or the officers at which he displayed the gun, may not return to his house in Brownfield, and, at the request of the district attorney's office, not return to Brownfield at all until his case is resolved. Junkins spoke up via his Zoom link and asked whether at least his wife could come see him in the hospital. The judge made it clear that was not allowed. “The no contact provisions are effective immediately and any violation could result in new criminal charges,” she warned. She noted he could appeal for a revision of these conditions as his case proceeds. His next court date is December 23 for a dispositional hearing.
Oxford officer catches interstate shoplifter
Oxford police may have put a hitch in the plans of an interstate shoplifting gang August 13 when, called to investigate possible shoplifting at Walmart, Oxford officer Zachary Bisson stopped a car on Route 26 and discovered a woman from Michigan, wanted in Alabama for "organized retail theft", Mavontae McCann, 19, of Fort Huron, Michigan. Alabama authorities requested she be held for extradition, so she was taken to Oxford County Jail pending a hearing and an eventual trip back south
Mollyocket Motel, back from foreclosure, will be rehabbed, say new owners
UPDATE ON THE MOLLYOCKET MOTEL: from the local business people who won the auction last month, Travis Stearns and Kinsey Durgin.
"We’re bringing back The Mollyockett Motel!! Travis Stearns and Kinsey Durgin are the proud new owners of the western Maine landmark. There will be tons of news, pictures and updates coming as we rebrand, update and renovate so please follow along. For starters, we have dropped the “motel” from the name and will be renaming it “The Mollyockett”. Signage and logos will reflect the change and updated look.
"We plan to bring The Mollyockett into the 21 st Century, with updates coming to all common areas and guest rooms. The pool house is also very high on the priority list and will be upgraded and reopened as soon as possible. We will also be exploring options for reopening the restaurant, but nothing has been set in stone yet. There is alot to sort out, and we’ll be working through the entire property and keeping followers posted along the way.
"The Mollyockett will be owned by locals, renovated by locals, and we will be hiring local when the time comes. We hope to create a great place for travelers and tourists to stay, while remaining a social hub for the community.
"We’ve had the keys for less than a week and the support has already been overwhelming; we couldn’t be more appreciative of the locals backing this project! It’s clear to us that this place means a lot to the community; everyone has a story of working here, swimming here or eating at the restaurant and we’re going to bring it all back the right way.
"Stay tuned for pictures and updates!"