Bangor man’s attempted brotherly ruse crumbles at jail

A 23-year-old Bangor man whose driver’s license was suspended tried unsuccessfully to convince Brewer police late Monday night that he was his brother, whose license was recently issued and unblemished.

But the investigating officers had their suspicions that the man claiming to be Duane Peoples was actually Michael Howell. The vehicle they had stopped on Eastern Avenue about 10:50 p.m. was registered to Howell, and there were other documents police later found inside the car with Howell’s name on them.

The driver insisted he was Peoples, however, telling Officer Anthony Pinette and Sgt. Chris Martin that he had bought the vehicle and was in the process of switching ownership over to himself.

There were other things that raised red flags for police. The driver more closely matched a description given of Howell, who is 5 inches shorter than Peoples and about 25 pounds lighter. The driver also claimed to have come from Norumbega Park, a housing complex on Rinfret Drive, but when police spoke to the woman he had visited, she identified him in person as “Mike,” although she didn’t’ know his last name.

The driver also changed his story about where his license was, initially telling police that he didn’t have it with him because he had played basketball earlier, but later claimed that he had lost his wallet a couple of days ago.

Believing the motorist was Howell, the police arrested the driver and charged him with operating a motor vehicle after suspension and failure to give a correct name. The man signed both summonses as Peoples, according to police.

Howell’s ruse fully unraveled when Peoples showed up at the Penobscot County Jail to bail out his brother. In order to do so, Peoples had to provide the jail with identification that showed he was Peoples as well as identification that the man they had in jail was Howell.

Howell made bail, but also was charged with forgery for signing the summonses as Peoples.

A family fight between cousins ended with the arrest of one on an active warrant and a summons issued to the other for assault.

David Paul, 48, of Bangor called police about 10:45 p.m. Monday to report that his cousin Donald Joseph, 34, also of Bangor, had assaulted him, striking him in the face and kicking him in the stomach. Bangor police Officer Shawn Green reported that Paul had a raised bruise over his right eye and that he sought medical attention.

A records check showed that Paul was wanted on a warrant related to a theft charge and Green followed the Bangor Fire Department ambulance to St. Joseph Hospital where he asked personnel there to notify him when Paul was discharged from the hospital.

Green then went to look for Joseph and found him on the corner of Cedar and Fourth streets. Green summoned Joseph for his involvement in the assault.

The officer later returned to St. Joseph Hospital where he arrested Paul on the warrant.

– Compiled by NEWS reporter Doug Kesseli