Woman summoned in puppy theft case

Old Town police charged a woman Sunday afternoon after she allegedly stole a puppy from her tenants.

Officer Debbie Holmes said a man told her he lost a puppy Saturday. He was told by Madelyn Westbrook, 23, who was subletting an apartment to him, that the dog had run away.

When the dog’s owners went out looking for it, they learned that a local family had gotten a new puppy at The Animal Orphanage matching the lost dog’s description.

The dog’s owners called the orphanage, Holmes said, and learned that the puppy had actually been handed off in the orphanage parking lot, by Madelyn Westbrook.

On Sunday at about 1 p.m. Holmes received a call from the dog’s owner, who was in a dispute with Westbrook. Westbrook allegedly said she had taken the dog because she was concerned for its welfare; however, Holmes said she thought the dog was fine with its original owners.

Westbrook was summoned for theft by unauthorized taking and transfer.

Holmes said the family that had received the puppy was located, and the dog was returned to its original owner. The family had a 4-year-old child who was sad to lose the dog, Holmes said.

Bangor police arrested a woman Tuesday morning after she allegedly refused to sign summons forms.

Officer Jason McAmbley reported that at about 9 a.m. he went to a Pearl Street address to serve two summonses from Brewer to Christy Smith, 21.

McAmbley said a man opened the door, and went upstairs and downstairs twice, bearing word that Smith was not going to come down to sign the summonses.

McAmbley told the man he wouldn’t leave until Smith signed the forms, which he said would only take a few minutes. McAmbley said he offered to go upstairs to spare Smith the trouble of having to come down; at this point, McAmbley said, the man slammed the door and went upstairs again.

A moment later, McAmbley said, Smith opened the door, and swore at the officer.

McAmbley said he told Smith he needed her to sign the summonses, at which point, she reportedly told him she would not sign anything, and again swore at McAmbley.

McAmbley then told Smith she could either sign the papers or go to jail. She still refused, McAmbley said.

When McAmbley reached for Smith’s arm, telling her she was under arrest, she backed into the house.

The man who opened the door tried to get Smith to sign, but she continued to refuse, McAmbley said. Then the man tried to get the police officer to let go of Smith, McAmbley said.

McAmbley said that when the man told him to let go, McAmbley pulled out his pepper spray and instructed the man to back away, which he did, which the man did.

McAmbley then called for backup. Detective Paul Edwards arrived immediately.

McAmbley handcuffed Smith and took her to Penobscot County Jail, where she signed the two summonses from Brewer along with one from McAmbley for refusing to sign the other two.

Brewer police arrested a man Monday evening after a convenience store refused to sell him beer.

Officer John Knappe said a clerk at the Big Apple store on Wilson Street called saying a van pulled up to the store and the driver fell from the vehicle. The clerk said that the driver tried to buy beer but had been refused because he believed the driver was intoxicated.

Knappe said he and Officer Tony Pinette stopped the van just after it left the store, and arrested the driver, Brian Bastarache, 44, of Brewer for operating under the influence after he failed sobriety tests.

– Compiled by NEWS reporter Isaac Kimball