Turf war suspected in Vinalhaven feud Alleged lobster dispute results in 4 arrests

ROCKLAND – The deadly shooting of a family cat on Vinalhaven last month may be tied to a lobster war, according to a police affidavit.

Someone allegedly shot Ira Warren’s cat 15 times, then tossed the cat in a spot where the family would find it. Shortly thereafter, Ira Warren and his father were arrested and charged with allegedly beating two other men.

One of the alleged victims – David Warren – is the person suspected of killing the cat, according to court document.

Since Sept. 27, there have been four arrests in connection with the dispute, and an extensive search by land, sea and even beneath the water when one man charged in the brouhaha bolted from authorities near the ferry landing.

In an affidavit filed in 6th District Court in Rockland, Ira Warren told police that the cat killing was all over “lobsters” and was aimed at trying to scare his family “out of the water.”

On Sept. 27, Charles Warren, 56, and his son Ira Warren, 39, were charged with aggravated assault, criminal mischief and terrorizing. They are accused of attacking David Warren, 24, and another man, beating them with their hands and some sort of oak sticks. The father and son Warrens later were released on bail.

Several days later, after rumors of retaliation circled the island, a Knox County sheriff’s lieutenant arrested David Warren and Joshua Anthony, 22, allegedly for terrorizing the Warren family.

David Warren’s relationship to the older Warrens could not be determined Tuesday. While Anthony was not the other alleged victim of the beating, deputies believe he later became involved in the fray.

On Oct. 1, Anthony escaped custody while under arrest and waiting on Vinalhaven for a Maine Marine Patrol boat.

At first, armed with one pair of handcuffs, a sheriff’s lieutenant had bound the two men together. The men then convinced the officer to uncuff them while they were in his cruiser. About 9:30 p.m., Anthony asked to leave the vehicle to urinate. While outside the cruiser with the officer, Anthony ran off into the woods, then jumped into the harbor. A search for him ensued.

Law enforcement officials searched until 3 a.m. The hunt for Anthony resumed the next morning with a Maine State Police dive team probing the waters around the island. Besides the Sheriff’s Department, the Maine Marine Patrol and U.S. Coast Guard assisted.

On the night of Oct. 2, Anthony turned himself in to police on the island.

Anthony, who was charged with escape, two counts of unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (morphine and Tramadol) and violation of conditions of release, appeared Monday in 6th District Court. He was released from jail on $2,500 cash bail and is scheduled for trial Nov. 13 in District Court.