Maine
Search continues in Maine as officer is charged with lying about taking missing person to hospital
Crime
WASHBURN, Maine (AP) — A Maine police officer accused of lying about a missing-person case was charged with several crimes, including falsifying a report in which he claimed he had taken the missing man to a hospital, police said.
Washburn Police Sgt. Chandler Cole resigned after being charged with aggravated forgery, tampering with public records or information, falsifying physical evidence, and unsworn falsification, according to court records. He was arrested on March 29.
Cole said he had no comment when reached by The Associated Press.
The charges, first reported by WAGM-TV, stem from the case of a missing person who appeared to be distressed when seen walking along a road on Jan. 30.
Cole reported that he had picked up Erik Foote and dropped him off at a convenience store, but he told Foote’s parents he took him to the hospital.
An investigation concluded Cole altered his report to reflect a hospital drop-off. But there is no hospital record to support the claim.
Foote has yet to be located in a case that has riveted the community of 1,500 people, which has organized another search party to look for him this weekend.
The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office is now handling the investigation.
The town is in the process of deciding whether to keep a police department. Washburn’s police chief retired Jan. 31, Cole resigned in February and a young officer is working elsewhere, Town Manager Donna Turner said.
For now, the Sheriff’s Office is providing coverage while Washburn is without police.
The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition says over the past two weeks its immigrant defense hotline has seen an uptick in reported ICE detentions.
They say this corresponds with a national shift in ICE activity, including bids for local businesses to cooperate with ICE.
In Maine, the arrests follow a broader trend of targeting Black and brown immigrants, including people navigating immigration proceedings.
The coalition, which represents more than 100 organizations, says it’s ready to protect civil and human rights and is urging immigrants to prepare themselves and their families.
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They suggest having the defense hotline ready in case you witness ICE activity, making sure you have important personal documents in case of detention, and reviewing rights around judicial warrants in private spaces, like your home or workplace.
It wouldn’t be Mother’s Day without a stop at the florist.
According to Fox Business, about 154 million flowers are sold during the week of Mother’s Day. So it’s safe to say it was a busy day for stores like Estabrook’s Maine Garden Center and Nursery.
Plenty of families stopped by to pick out flowers on Sunday, looking to choose the perfect bouquet for their moms.
“I think Mother’s Day is tradition, you know, and so it’s great to see families here. We have a lot of new families that have come today for the first time with their young children and their mother. Watching the young kids and seeing how excited they are—their eyes light up at all the beautiful flowers,” Tom Estabrook, president of Estabrook’s, said.
Estabrook says Mother’s Day tends to be a great kickoff to the spring season.
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