Bangor teen arrested on concealed-weapon charge

A Bangor man was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon Monday afternoon at a park off Second Street.

Bangor police Officer Thomas Reagan responded to a call that someone was swinging a Samurai sword in the park. Reagan’s report said he stopped to talk with a group of girls in a parked car and determined they were not involved. But while he was questioning the girls, Reagan said, he heard a noise and saw a male fitting the description of the sword-swinger.

Reagan spoke with the young man, identified as Philip Smith, 19, of Bangor. He ran Smith’s name and discovered the man had an alert code for having a knife on his person. Reagan’s report said the officer asked Smith if he had any weapons on him and without answering the question the teen reached for his sweat shirt. Reagan said he grabbed Smith’s hand and told him not to move.

Reagan then lifted Smith’s sweat shirt and found a set of throwing knives in a sheath attached to his waist. The officer seized the knives and found no other weapons, though Reagan said he found the sword in question near a pile of snow and seized that as well.

Smith was arrested and transferred to the Bangor Police Department. After making several phone calls, Reagan’s report said, Smith was released on $40 bail. The weapons were kept as evidence, but Smith told Reagan they were practicing tools for his martial arts.

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A Dedham man was summoned for possession of a usable amount of marijuana early Monday morning after he was pulled over for having an inoperable license plate light.

Brewer police Officer Jason Moffitt stopped Gyrth Rutan, 20, of Dedham on South Main Street near I-395 shortly after midnight. When Moffitt approached the vehicle, he noticed a bottle of alcohol in plain sight. According to Moffitt’s report, Rutan said he did not know the alcohol was there.

Moffitt’s report said the officer asked if Rutan had anything else illegal in the vehicle. Rutan admitted to having a small amount of marijuana and was issued a summons for possession. Rutan was not charged, however, with possession of alcohol by a minor.

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Old Town police Officer Seth Bear responded to a shoplifting call at Rite Aid on South Main Street shortly after 5 p.m. Monday and summoned a juvenile for theft.

After walking out of Rite Aid and its security alarm went off, a 14-year-old Old Town boy admitted to taking a set of headphones, Bear said.

A Rite Aid employee followed the juvenile out of the store, Bear said, and escorted him back inside, where they waited until Bear arrived. The officer issued a summons and then released the boy to the custody of his mother.

– Compiled by NEWS reporter Eric Russell