November 14, 2024
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Police explode gunpowder-filled device

A small container discovered Thursday morning inside an Old Town residence was detonated by the Bangor Police Department’s bomb squad.

Similar to devices used by Civil War re-enactors, the object contained black powder comparable to gunpowder, according to Old Town police. A woman discovered it inside her Stillwater Avenue home and called police.

The container was removed from the residence at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday and detonated at the Old Town Municipal Airport, according to police.

No other information was available.

A man was charged by Bangor police Thursday after he threatened to jump off a downtown building for the third time in three weeks.

Ryan Rideout, who is in his 20s and of Bangor, was removed from the roof of 1 Main St. after police were called to the scene at 2 p.m. He was transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center and later charged with criminal trespass, violation of conditions of release and assault.

Police declined to elaborate on the charges Thursday night as the case was pending.

Rideout threatened to jump off the same building, which houses the Thai Siam restaurant, on Aug. 29 and Sept. 2.

A man was arrested Wednesday for stealing a watch from J.C. Penney in Bangor as he wore a jacket and pants stolen from the same store one week ago.

A store employee told police at 11 a.m. that she approached Elias I. Elias, 53, a transient, after she watched him put a watch in his pocket and leave the store, according to reports. She said Elias had also stolen a sports coat and pair of pants from the store one week ago.

Elias, who was wearing the stolen outfit, said he had taken the clothes without paying and left another pair of pants and jacket behind that belonged to him. Elias said he wanted the old clothes back, but store employees had already thrown them out, according to reports.

The J.C. Penney employee asked that Elias reimburse the store $250 for the watch, which was broken, and the sports coat and pants. Elias said he was sorry for what he had done and was arrested for theft and transported to Penobscot County Jail, according to reports.

A Princeton man was arrested by Bangor police Thursday morning after saying loud music distracted him from driving.

Troy Socoby, 21, was pulled over at 12:40 a.m. on North Main Street in Brewer after police watched him drift across the road and speed through two construction zones on Interstate 395, according to reports. When approached by Officer Wade Betters, Socoby said, “I’m sorry if we were being too loud; we were jamming to Destiny’s Child.”

Socoby continued to apologize after Betters explained that loud music was not the reason for the stop. Socoby smelled of alcohol and he said he had consumed one drink that evening, according to reports.

Socoby failed field sobriety tests and was arrested for operating under the influence. At the Bangor police station, he said the passenger in his car had tricked him into stealing gas from a filling station, according to reports. Socoby’s blood alcohol content registered at 0.15 percent.

– Compiled by NEWS reporter Jackie Farwell


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