Christmas time in Maine

I had a very brief stint living in rural Maine (South Thomaston, I give you a shout out!), and although there were many reasons I didn't stay, and most likely won't move back, Mid-Coast Maine holds a dear place in my heart. And every year around this time, the person who writes up the police blotters for the local news website gets the winter punchies, and starts to get either very creative or a little lazy. Not all of them are decidedly interesting until you start to appreciate their "show not tell" skills or overall verbosity. Examples:

Dec. 2
A U.S. Postal Service van struck a pedestrian on Maverick Street. The pedestrian, Michael G____ of Rockland, was struck on the sidewalk while riding a bicycle. The driver of the postal van, Thomas C____ of Owls Head, told police the glare of the sun obscured his view and he failed to see G____. G____ was uninjured, the van was not damaged and no charges were filed.

Dec. 3
A Rockport school bus slid into a ditch off Glen Street. A bucket loader from nearby Harbor Plaza helped pull it out and send it on its way.

Dec. 5
Donna D____, 61, of Waldoboro was driving south on Winslows Mills Road when she struck a sheep that had run onto the road. Her 1995 Dodge two-door sedan sustained $2,000 damage. D____ was not injured or cited. The police report did not say what happened to the sheep.

Dec. 6
Two people were arrested following a traffic stop near Main and Myrtle streets. Officer Jay Neubauer stopped a 2004 Chevy pickup for failing to stop at a red light, and the driver, 20-year-old Laramie W____ of New Harbor, was arrested for operating after suspension. An unmarked pill bottle containing cocaine and Oxycontin was found on a passenger in the truck, 19-year-old Bobbi P____ of Washington. Along with the driving after suspension, W____ was charged with trafficking and possession of scheduled drugs; P____ was charged with drug trafficking and drug possession.

Dec. 10
A 43-year-old man was reportedly "clocked upside the head" with a large red flashlight during an altercation on Main Street in Warren.

A report of a domestic argument on Second Street in St. George turned out to be a 48-year-old man who was intoxicated and stumbling around in his house.


Now, granted, none of these top the Rockland police blotter for last year (I'll post it later), but all in all, it makes for a more interesting read.

Update: I searched and searched the website and I can't find the police blotters archived anymore... But I found a story that reminded me of another story I read in the Bangor newspaper during moose rutting season a long time ago. There's increased destruction of personal property during this time, but the most extensive I heard about was a VW Jetta that had all of its windows broken, the body was destroyed and covered with hoofprints... the car was totaled, but worst of all, the inside of the car was "coated with unspecified moose fluid."