Former councilor arrested Greene charged with contempt for failure to appear in court

BANGOR – A former Bangor city councilor who served five days in jail this summer for forgery and shoplifting charges was arrested again Thursday, this time on a warrant for a contempt charge connected to his failure to appear at an August court hearing.

Richard Greene, 52, of Bangor was arrested about 2 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the Broadway Shopping Center, according to Penobscot County law enforcement officials.

Greene’s arresting officer was Sheriff Glenn Ross, who ran into Greene at the retail center.

“I was driving through the Broadway Shopping Center parking lot,” Ross said Thursday. “I saw him walking across the lot and was aware that a warrant had been issued on him.”

Ross approached Greene, who said he was not aware of the warrant, Ross said. Ross said he verified with dispatchers that the warrant was active and placed Greene under arrest.

Ross said Greene was “very cooperative” during Thursday’s episode.

Greene, who was banned from the Hannaford Supermarket at the shopping center after the shoplifting complaint, told Ross he had just had a haircut. Pierre’s School of Cosmetology is located in the Broadway retail center.

After his arrest, Greene was taken to Penobscot County Jail in Bangor. He was released on bail at about 6:35 p.m., according to jail officials. He was ordered to appear in 3rd District Court in Bangor on Nov. 6.

According to Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy, Greene failed to appear at an Aug. 18 hearing related to a civil lawsuit he lost earlier this year. An arrest warrant for failure to appear was issued on Sept. 23, Almy said Thursday.

Information about the civil matter wasn’t immediately available Thursday.

The legal troubles for Greene began in January, when he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor forgery. Greene was a member of the Bangor City Council at the time.

That charge stemmed from allegations that Greene submitted a bill to the city on which he forged Bangor 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.

In May, while Greene was out on bail on the forgery charge, he was arrested after he was caught leaving Hannaford with a bag of merchandise without paying for it, according to police. He was charged with theft for stealing $130.71 in wine, gin and tonic water, frozen pizza and razor refills.

The next month, Greene pleaded no contest to three charges – forgery, theft and violation of condition of release – and was sentenced to five days in jail.

Within hours of his sentencing, Greene resigned from his council position, which will remain unfilled until the city elections in November.

dgagnon@bangordailynews.net

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