Search called off for owner of car abandoned near bridge

VERONA – Officials said Monday they have discontinued the search for a South Paris man after efforts this weekend on and along the Penobscot River to find him were unsuccessful.

State and county searchers began looking for Ronald Vallee on Friday after construction crews working on the new Waldo-Hancock Bridge found his car apparently abandoned at the construction site. Searchers combed the shoreline and the Penobscot River on Friday aided by a search plane.

The search was extensive on Saturday, involving officers from the Maine Marine Patrol, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine State Police and a volunteer search and rescue group. Although divers from the state police dive team were on hand, they did not go into the water, according to Sgt. John Williams of the Marine Patrol.

In addition to the search teams on land, searchers used a side-scan sonar device, which allows them to detect objects on the river bottom, Williams said Monday.

“We didn’t find anything,” he said. “Time was against us. Every time the tide changes, we’d go behind. And we were behind to get started.” Vallee’s car was left at the construction site Thursday night and was discovered early Friday morning.

Hancock County sheriff’s deputies were attempting to track Vallee’s movements leading up to the discovery of the vehicle, but Chief Deputy Richard Bishop said Monday they had not turned up any information to indicate why Vallee was in the area.