Maine
Maine police lieutenant, 2 others seriously injured in head-on crash
A police lieutenant in Maine and two others suffered serious injuries when another driver crashed head-on into his police cruiser in Turner while the lieutenant was on his way home from work on Monday, authorities said Tuesday.
Monmouth Police Lt. Dana Wessling, 52, of Turner, was extricated from his cruiser and flown to Maine Medical Center in Portland with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The other driver, Sean McNeil, 41, of Minot, and his passenger, a 47-year-old woman from Turner, were both taken by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The conditions of Wessling, McNeil and the unidentified woman were not known on Tuesday.
On Monday, at 4:49 p.m., the Androscoggin County Regional Communications Center received a report of a two-vehicle, head-on crash at the intersection of Turner Center Road and Bradford Road in Turner.
Deputies along with Turner Fire-Rescue were immediately dispatched to the scene, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said.
A preliminary investigation found that Wessling was traveling west on Turner Center Road in his take-home cruiser, a black 2022 Ford Interceptor that is owned by the Town of Monmouth.
McNeil, driving his silver 2013 Ford F150 pickup truck, was traveling east on Turner Center Road when McNeil came around a curve, crossed the center line and was in Wessling’s lane when the two vehicles collided, authorities said.
Both vehicles had extensive front-end damage and were totaled, authorities said.
Wessling, who was on his way home at the end of his shift, had just picked up his 7-year-old son at daycare, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said. His son was taken by private vehicle to a local hospital to be examined for precautionary reasons.
Investigators from the sheriff’s office and the Lewiston Police Department were on scene to reconstruct the crash.
The crash investigation remains under investigation.
Turner is a small town in Maine, just north of Lewiston. The town’s population was 5,817 at the 2020 census.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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The Maine Baseball Team was swept by UMass Lowell in the weekend series, losing on Sunday 5-4.
UMaine scored 3 runs in the 5th inning and 1 in the 6th inning to lead 4-1, but the Riverhawks scored 2 runs in the 7th and then pushed across the tying and winning runs in the 9th inning for the win.
Thomas Stabley started for Maine and went 6.1 innings on the mound. He allowed 5 hits and 3 runs, striking out and walking 1. Owen Wheeler pitched 1.2 hitless innings striking out 2. Sebastian Holt pitched the 9th and took the loss, allowing 2 hits and 2 runs, the big hit a 2-run homer to Nicholas Solozano, his 2nd of the day.
Hunter St. Denis homered for Maine, a solo shot, his 9th of the season, in the 6th inning.
Albert De La Rosa was 2-4. JuJu Stevens , Shane Andrus, Quinn Murphy and Chris Bear each singled.
UMass Lowell is 19-27 while Maine is now 17-30.
The Black Bears will host Merrimack on Tuesday, May 12th in a non-conference game at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 92.9 The Ticket with the pregame starting at 1:30 p.m. Maine then closes out the regular season at home with a 3-game America East conference matchup with Albany Thursday- Saturday.
Check out photos from the game
Maine-UMass Lowell Baseball May 10
The Maine Black Bears hosted the UMass Lowell Riverhawks on Sunday, May 10th
Gallery Credit: Chris Popper
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It seems every season there’s a southern Maine pitcher or two headed to big-time college baseball.
Meet Hunter Finck, a Gorham High junior and the newest mound star.
Casual fans of Class A South baseball might be wondering, “Hunter who?” After all, Finck threw just one inning for the Rams as a sophomore because of shoulder tightness. It was his Gorham teammate, Wyatt Nadeau, now at Vanderbilt, who was getting the headlines.
But, “when you say Hunter, everyone around here knows who you’re talking about,” said Gorham coach Ed Smith.
For several reasons.
Finck, 17, has been a standout for several years, always playing up an age group or two at the local level. Since he was 15, he’s pitched for Atlanta-based Team Elite Baseball at premier national showcase tournaments. On Dec. 8, Finck, a powerfully built 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-hander, committed to Alabama, a rising program in the power-packed Southeastern Conference.
Throughout the 2025 summer, playing for both Team Elite and Portland-based Maine Lightning Baseball, Finck built his arm strength back up to where it had been in 2024, when his fastball first crossed the 90 mph threshold. But it wasn’t until early October when Finck was ready to show his true self.
In back-to-back tournaments in Florida with Team Elite’s top team, Finck impressed. On the second weekend, competing in the Perfect Game WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Florida, his fastball was up to 93 mph, his curveball was sharp, and a developing changeup was effective.
“It really came to life for Hunter in the fall,” said Brooke Richards, Team Elite’s national high school director. Richards said the college recruiters who rightfully saw question marks around Finck because of his limited track record “were probably scrambling at the same time.”
Alabama coach Rob Vaughn and his staff made an early impression.
Two months later, Finck was touring Alabama’s campus in Tuscaloosa.
On the plane ride home, Finck said he knew he’d found the right spot, and he committed before the plane landed in New England.
Finck would be the first Mainer to pitch for Alabama, but recruiting pitchers from Maine is not new to Vaughn. As the head coach at Maryland (2018-23), Vaughn coached York’s Trevor Labonte for three seasons. Greely’s Zach Johnston originally committed to Maryland before opting to attend Wake Forest.
Finck said there were other schools from the Power 4 conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC) that pursued him.
“I looked at all of them seriously. I thought all of them were great, but I just really wanted to go to Alabama, especially after I saw it,” he said. “I feel like they really wanted me. I have a very good relationship with all of their coaches, so that’s one of the main reasons.”
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WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT HUNTER FINCK?
Gorham senior Miles Brenner is a strong pitcher in his own right. He’s committed to play at Wheaton College, annually among the top NCAA Division III programs in New England.
“What stands out about Hunter is obviously his velocity, his power,” Brenner said. “But it’s also his mindset. He’s always working, always trying to get better.”
Smith, Gorham’s coach, points to several factors that predict future success for Finck: His progression has always “been ahead of the curve;” he’s been a hard thrower from an early age who has the strong frame to support increased velocity; and “his compete level is off the charts.”
Smith and Richards both describe Finck as having a commanding presence and in-control demeanor on the mound.
“For a kid who doesn’t have a lot of innings under his belt, his composure on the mound is very good. It’s very professional,” Richards said. “Pitching-wise, it’s hard stuff. He attacks. It’s a fastball with life. He has good feel for three pitches that typically he’s very good commanding. When he misses, it’s not by much.”
SO FAR THIS SEASON
Though he has a bright future ahead, Finck is focused on Gorham baseball this spring. In his first start, he threw four innings of one-hit ball, striking out eight in an 8-1 season-opening win against Sanford at Goodall Park.
” data-image-caption=”<p>Gorham’s Hunter Finck celebrates after getting out of an inning against Sanford on April 24. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
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On Tuesday, he threw a two-hitter in an 8-0 win against previously unbeaten Cheverus. It was the first time he’d pitched seven innings since his freshman year. Standing tall, with a strong power stride, Finck started the game with a 93 mph fastball and was still throwing 90 in the fourth inning. Through five innings, he allowed two singles, and with sharp command of his fastball and curveball, he did not get to a three-ball count. A few pitches got away from Finck in the sixth and seventh after Gorham scored its eighth run (on a Finck RBI single), but with help from an errorless defense, he worked around a walk in each inning and finished his shutout with nine strikeouts.
The Rams have a deep pitching staff. In addition to Finck and Brenner, senior Wyatt Washburn is another future college pitcher — he’s headed to Colby College. Add in Nadeau and Jack Karlonas (Husson) from last year’s Gorham team, and Finck has benefited from being surrounded by older teammates who can offer advice, give support, and engage in mature conversations about the craft of pitching.
Of Nadeau, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who has drawn regular starts in his first season at Vanderbilt, Finck said, “he helped me to see what it was like to be at that level and show me everything that goes with it. … He showed me what the standard is.”
Washburn said of Finck, “He’s just one of those guys that loves the game of baseball and wants to be doing it all the time. It’s the love of the game and his work ethic.”
With Gorham having plenty of quality pitching, Finck will not be overtaxed. Smith has said he expects to stick to a three-starter rotation. That could also ease the pressure of being “the Alabama kid,” as Smith said he heard opposing players call Finck during the preseason.
The way Finck sees it, his choice of college doesn’t change anything in the present. Opponents might think of him as the Alabama kid, but he’s pitching for the Gorham Rams, always trying to compete and play at his best to help his team win.
“So, nerves are the same,” he said. “Pressure’s the same, in my opinion. Just with a label on it.”
THOMASTON, Maine (WGME) — A Maine inmate is behind bars after corrections officers say he walked off a jobsite nearly a week ago.
45-year-old Brian Day was arrested.
He was being held at Bolduc Correctional Facility before he left a jobsite in Thomaston on Monday.
45-year-old Candice Fisher was also arrested.
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She was wanted by the Rochester, New Hampshire Police Department.
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