PORTLAND

Jail guard found not guilty of charge he attacked inmate

A Cumberland County Jail guard has been acquitted of charges that he assaulted an inmate.

The jury deliberated for about an hour Wednesday before finding Nicholas Stein not guilty on the misdemeanor charge. Stein was accused of dragging and punching inmate Brian Cote in June.

Cote testified Tuesday that he was injured after a jump from the second-floor balcony. He said Stein dragged him 200 feet and punched him in the face instead of summoning medical help as required. Cote said he jumped because he had been denied his medications.

Stein’s lawyer said her client is grateful for the jury’s verdict. She said Stein “was just doing the best he could in a bad situation.”

HARMONY

Bridges renamed as tribute to domestic violence victims

Two bridges in Harmony are being renamed in a tribute to victims of domestic violence.

Gov. Paul LePage signed a resolve Tuesday that allows for the renaming of the bridges.

What was known as the Higgins Stream Bridge on Route 150 will now be called the Amy, Coty and Monica Bridge. Amy Lake and her two children were shot to death last year in Dexter by her estranged husband, Steven Lake, who also killed himself.

The other bridge will be named the Remember Me Bridge. It crosses the Sebasticook River on state Route 154.

The governor has declared domestic violence prevention to be a priority issue in the Legislature.

BRUNSWICK

Police charge teen in arson that burned blueberry fields

Police say a 13-year-old Brunswick boy has been charged with arson after a brush fire burned about two acres of blueberry fields.

Police said three 13-year-old boys were involved in the incident Tuesday, but charges were only filed against the boy believed to have started the blaze. That boy was processed at the Brunswick Police Department and released to his parents pending an April 11 appearance in West Bath District Court.

The Times Record newspaper reported that firefighters from Brunswick, Freeport, Topsham and West Bath responded to the blaze, which took about 90 minutes to douse.

BAILEYVILLE

Child seeking mother walks mile to store on snowy night

A 3-year-old girl, possibly confused by a dream, walked a mile in fresh snow to a grocery store in the middle of the night, thinking her mother was inside buying pizza.

Hope Trott awoke, put on red shoes, threw a jacket on over her nightgown and headed out in 29-degree weather, police said. An employee arriving to clean the floors at 4 a.m. Wednesday found the girl crying outside the store and called police.

Melanie Devoe, assistant store manager, said, “She was crying, saying, ‘My mommy is in there.’ (The employee) knew she wasn’t because the alarm was on and the door was locked.

“He zipped her coat up, and he came in here and called 911, then went back out with her,” Devoe said.

Officers followed the child’s footprints to her home, found the front door open and, thinking a home invasion was in progress, entered with guns drawn, police told the Bangor Daily News. They found Hope’s parents, Laura and Jesse Trott, and her older siblings, Hunter and Ann, asleep.

Laura Trott said she was shocked to find out why police were there. She said she’s not sure what caused her daughter to leave the house. The family has since installed a chain and deadbolt on the door.

BANGOR

Police look for Maine couple after Florida man vanishes

Police are looking for a Maine couple in the disappearance of a Florida firefighter who had come to the state to visit friends.

Police said they believe Cheyanne Nowak, 25, of Newburgh and Daniel Porter, 24, whose Facebook page says he’s from Jackson, may have had contact with Jerry Perdomo, 31, of Orange City, Fla. The couple may be traveling in a tan 2005 Hyundai Elantra sedan with the temporary Maine license plate 729-257.

Perdomo drove from Florida to Bangor to visit friends, and was scheduled to return to Florida on Feb. 16. His rental car was found abandoned Feb. 17 in a Walmart parking lot in Bangor.

He was last seen wearing a black zip-up hooded sweat shirt, fatigue shorts and black sneakers. He’s described as a 200-pound Puerto Rican male, 5 foot 11 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes.

Perdomo is married and has two children. His wife arrived in Maine on Monday, police said.

AUGUSTA

Man who endangered child while OUI gets 150-day term

A Biddeford man has been sentenced to five months in jail for driving drunk with his 4-year-old son in the passenger seat.

Authorities say Tony Leland, 46, pleaded guilty in Kennebec County Superior Court to operating under the influence and endangering the welfare of a child.

Leland was pulled over Nov. 2 by a sheriff’s deputy in Sidney who was responding to a report of an erratic driver. The officer found a bottle of alcohol between the front seats.

Police say Leland’s blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit to drive.

The Kennebec Journal reported that Leland received a suspended 364-day sentence for the OUI offense and was ordered to serve 150 days for child endangerment. His license was suspended for three months.

WISCASSET

Man held on $100,000 bail in knife attack on woman

A Bath man accused of what police called a “vicious” knife attack on his girlfriend has been ordered held on $100,000 bail.

Matthew Wycoff appeared in court Wednesday via video conference from jail. He said little except for a series of affirmative responses to questions from the judge about his legal rights and the charge against him — Class A elevated aggravated assault.

Police said an argument between Wycoff, 28, and the 38-year-old woman escalated Monday when he grabbed a steak knife and stabbed her in the neck and shoulders until the blade broke.

Police said the victim was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where she was in serious condition but expected to survive. Prosecutors said the victim is lucky to be alive.

AUBURN

Police seize $90,000, drugs while searching apartment

Police said they seized nearly $90,000 in drug proceeds as well as various drugs during an investigation at an apartment in Auburn.

Police went to the apartment early Wednesday after seeing someone who allegedly bought marijuana at the building.

Police found the cash as well as 136 grams of marijuana, 2.9 grams of crack cocaine and 59 Ecstasy pills.

Nicholas Morrissette, 25, was arrested and charged with trafficking in drugs near a park, police said. He was released on $10,000 bail.