Bangor police charge man wielding baseball bat

A report of a man with a baseball bat causing a disturbance early Wednesday morning on Second Street in Bangor brought police who arrested the man.

Arriving at the scene shortly after 3 a.m., Bangor police found Jesse A. Rogers, 22, of Bangor in front of the apartment building where witnesses said he had been banging on the door with the bat. Rogers dropped the bat when ordered to by Officer Brad Hanson, who later reported Rogers had two knives in his possession.

Rogers told police he was upset with the people inside and admitted to drinking, telling Hanson that the alcohol served as “liquid courage” for him.

The people inside declined to press charges, but Hanson decided to take Rogers into custody, concerned that if he were left there, the situation would escalate.

Hanson charged Rogers with disorderly conduct and with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.

A taxicab driver flagged down Bangor police late Tuesday night, reporting that a customer had no money to pay the fare.

The man had taken a cab ride to get beer but apparently didn’t have the $6.10 needed for the ride, so he was turned over to police.

The man, John Ellis, 40, of Orrington, admitted he had made a mistake and was taken into custody, according to the police report. Any cooperation the man provided police ended at Penobscot County Jail where Sgt. Thomas Reagan said Ellis lay down in the back of the cruiser and refused to move or talk. Eventually Reagan convinced the man to walk of his own accord into the jail.

Once Ellis was inside, authorities found a marijuana pipe in his possession. He was charged with theft of services and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bangor police this week concluded an investigation that began June 29 when it was reported that more than $900 in payroll had been deposited mistakenly into an account and taken out by the wrong person.

An official of New England Home Healthcare reported that a payroll clerk had mistakenly changed the account number for a direct deposit for a part-time employee.

The mistake wasn’t noticed right off, but eventually the employee reported being short $917.23.

Bangor police Officer Larry Morrill reported that a certified letter was sent to the account holder indicating that a mistake was made and that the funds needed to be paid back.

Morrill said it took some digging, through local law enforcement databases, state motor vehicles data and even relatives but he finally located the account owner, Ronald Spencer, 30, of Bangor.

Spencer admitted knowing the deposits were a mistake and that he shouldn’t have withdrawn the money but he did, and spent it.

Spencer asked for time to try to get a loan for the money, but when that effort fell through, he was summoned on Wednesday for theft of mislaid or mistakenly delivered property.

– Compiled by NEWS reporter Doug Kesseli