Bangor councilor enters plea of not guilty to theft charge

BANGOR – A city councilor arrested on Monday for allegedly stealing grocery items from a local supermarket told authorities he was “disabled, hungry and had no money, and it was not like him to steal,” according to a police report released Tuesday.

During a brief arraignment hearing in 3rd District Court, Richard Greene, 52, pleaded not guilty to one count of theft and a count of violating the conditions of his bail from a previous misdemeanor forgery charge. A trial on all three charges is scheduled for June 3 in District Court.

He was released on $250 cash bail within two hours of his court appearance Tuesday, jail officials confirmed. Among the conditions of his release are that he not return to the supermarket at which the theft reportedly occurred and that he not use or possess alcohol.

Greene allegedly left the Hannaford Supermarket on Broadway without paying for $130.71 in merchandise, according to a Bangor Police Department report filed with the Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office.

Greene is accused of stealing two bottles of cabernet sauvignon and one bottle of sauvignon blanc worth about $60, one bottle of Tanqueray gin valued at $35 and a bottle of tonic water, as well as two frozen pizzas worth about $11 and a package of razor refill blades worth about $19.

Greene, who was held overnight without bail in Penobscot County Jail after his arrest Monday, appeared before Judge Susan Sparaco in an orange jail-issue jumpsuit, handcuffs and shackles.

Asked Tuesday whether he planned to resign from the Bangor City Council post he has held for five years, Greene, who was the council’s chairman last year, said he had “no comment” before his attorney, Marvin Glazier, advised him not to speak to reporters.

Greene’s fellow councilors also aren’t commenting on the situation.

The legal troubles for Greene began in January, when he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor forgery.

That charge stems from allegations that Greene submitted a bill to the city on which he forged City Manager Edward Barrett’s signature.

According to an investigation by staff from the Maine Attorney General’s Office, Greene, a professional photographer and owner of Klyne Studio, submitted an invoice to the city seeking a $9,000 payment for “usage fees” for the public display of nine of the mayoral portraits he had taken dating to 1997-98. The portraits line the halls of the top floor at City Hall.

Despite his legal troubles, Greene remains a member of the Bangor City Council, though not an active one.

Bail conditions from his January arrest include that he have no contact with witnesses, including Barrett and finance director Deborah Cyr, both of whom routinely attend council meetings. The provision has barred Greene from participating in council meetings and other council activities.

As it stands, the council has no provisions for removing a member for alleged wrongdoing.

City Clerk Patti Dubois said in January that council vacancies can arise because of death, resignation or when a member moves outside the city, which would render a councilor ineligible for the elected office.

Councilors also can be removed through the city’s citizen-initiated recall process, which begins with an affidavit to that end signed by 10 residents who are registered voters.

Recall advocates then have 60 business days to collect the signatures of 20 percent of the total number of voters who participated in the most recent gubernatorial election.

If a group is able to gather the minimum number, the petitions are forwarded to the City Council, which then would schedule a citywide vote.

Though the city received inquiries about the recall process after Greene’s January arrest, no resident actually followed through with the necessary paperwork.

dgagnon@bangordailynews.net

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