BANGOR

Carlson’s sexual abuse spanned decades, police say

Witnesses told state police that a Bangor area activist, the Rev. Robert Carlson, groomed multiple children to be his sexual abuse victims during the past four decades.

State police Lt. Christopher Coleman told the Bangor Daily News that many abuse victims were interviewed during an investigation of Carlson.

Carlson jumped to his death off the Penobscot Narrows Bridge on Nov. 13 after learning of the investigation.

The state police report, issued Wednesday, states that several people questioned Carlson’s behavior toward young boys over the years but few took action. Coleman said exactly how many children fell victim to Carlson is not known, and it is likely that other child sex abuse victims chose not to come forward.

Bangor burglary suspect apprehended in Florida

Police say a man wanted in connection with a string of burglaries in downtown Bangor has been arrested in Florida.

Jonathan Matute, 18, of Bangor was arrested Wednesday night in Broward County, police said. Matute was arrested after police received a complaint from a Sears store in that area about thefts of tools. Police said Matute allegedly assaulted a security officer while he was being arrested.

Police in Florida also said they recovered a car that had been stolen July 26 from the University of Maine. Matute has been charged with assault and grand theft auto by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. A warrant for his arrest has been issued in Maine.

ERIE, Pa.

Maine man gets life sentence for kidnapping and rape

A registered sex offender from Maine will spend the rest of his life in prison for kidnapping and raping a woman in a northwestern Pennsylvania national forest two years ago.

A federal judge sentenced Mike Beaulieu of Anson, Maine to a life term plus seven years for the August 2010 abduction and sex assault involving a couple in the Allegheny National Forest.

Beaulieu was arrested in Canada after the victims said he accosted them at gunpoint, tied up the man and raped the woman.

Beaulieu pleaded guilty in March in hopes of receiving a lesser sentence. But the Erie Times-News reported the judge called Beaulieu a “violent recidivist who will remain a threat to society until the day he dies.”

Beaulieu’s prior convictions include a 2005 sex assault.

FALMOUTH

U.S. Senate candidate Woods to donate salary if elected

Independent U.S. Senate candidate Steve Woods said that if elected he’ll donate his entire Senate salary for all six years of his term to charity.

Woods said he’d form an independent committee of business, nonprofit and social service leaders who would decide which local charities would receive funding. Woods said people have a social responsibility to each other and he’s fortunate enough to be able to donate his salary to help those who are struggling.

The salary for a U.S. senator is currently $174,000.

Woods challenged independent Angus King to make a similar pledge. Also in the race are Republican Charlie Summers, Democrat Cynthia Dill, and independent Danny Dalton.

PORTLAND

Priest accused of groping boy in 2005 dies in Texas at age 81

A Roman Catholic priest ordained in Maine and later accused of groping a boy in Texas has died.

The Diocese of Portland announced Wednesday that Paul Clogan, 81, died Sunday in Austin, Texas.

The widowed Clogan was ordained in Maine in 1999 at age 68 after raising a family in Texas. He was a hospital chaplain in Bangor and served at churches in Machias and Cherryfield. He returned to Texas in November 2000.

He was accused of groping a 16-year-old boy in a Marble Falls, Texas movie theater in 2005 and suspended by the dioceses of Portland and Austin.

Clogan’s trial in 2008 ended in a mistrial. The Portland Diocese said a second trial was scheduled for March 2009, but was delayed several times and never occurred.

Grand Trunk Cemetery group to dedicate vet memorials

The Friends of the Grand Trunk Cemetery will dedicate new memorial stones Saturday for six veterans interred at the site in East Deering.

The event will culminate a two-year project by Girl Scouts Samantha Allshouse and Kayla Theriault to clean up and rehabilitate the cemetery, which had fallen into disrepair and was damaged by vandals. They earned a Gold Award, the Girl Scouts’ highest honor, for their project titled “Unearthing the Roots of East Deering and the Back Cove Communities.”

The dedication ceremony begins at 1 p.m. Saturday at Grand Trunk Cemetery, 69 Presumpscot St., along the railroad tracks behind Presumpscot School.

Veterans to be recognized at the ceremony are Crispus Graves, who served in the 31st Regiment under Col. Edmund Phinney during the Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 veterans Andrew Graves, John Sawyer, Joseph Sawyer, William Sawyer and Samuel Blake. All were buried in unmarked graves at the cemetery between 1818 and 1860.

Allshouse and Theriault cleaned up the cemetery with the assistance of the city’s Department of Public Works and community volunteers. They installed a new kiosk with information about the cemetery and a map of more than 100 graves. Local historian Herb Adams assisted the Girl Scouts with their research.

Grand Trunk Cemetery started as a family plot. It is believed the cemetery got its current name after the Grand Trunk Railroad began using the land to bury people who died on the trains, said Nicole Clegg, spokeswoman for the city.

BIDDEFORD

Police department collecting unwanted prescription drugs

Unwanted prescription drugs are now being accepted by the Biddeford Police Department.

The collection unit is available 24 hours a day, every day of the week, in the department’s lobby at 39 Alfred St.

The aim is to provide a way for people to dispose of unwanted prescriptions while keeping the drugs away from children and the water supply.

Prescription medicine, prescription patches, prescription ointments, pet medications, samples, vitamins and over-the-counter medications are accepted. Lotions, liquids, thermometers, hydrogen peroxide, aerosol cans, needles and bloody or infectious waste cannot be accepted.

Police suggest that people remove prescription labels from containers to ensure confidentiality.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Snowe to meet with leaders of five eurozone nations

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, will meet with leaders of five European nations next week as part of a congressional delegation looking into the eurozone financial crisis and potential impacts on the U.S. economy.

The delegation plans to travel to Ireland, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal — five of the countries hit hardest by Europe’s financial crisis — during the five-day trip, according to information released Thursday by the Senate Budget Committee.

The trip is being led by Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. In addition to Conrad and Snowe, the other members are Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif.

“The group is visiting one country per day and meeting with foreign leaders, American business representatives and U.S. government officials stationed in each country,” an announcement from the budget committee stated. “The delegation wants to better understand the policy choices the Europeans are considering, such as adopting immediate austerity measures versus pro-growth initiatives, and how that has impacted their recovery as well as their long-term deficit reduction efforts.”

Snowe also serves on the Senate Finance Committee and is ranking member on the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.

Congress is expected to adjourn later this week, beginning a five-week recess that extends through Labor Day. The delegation leaves Saturday and is expected to return on Friday, Aug. 10.

OWLS HEAD

Mother says son preparing for rehab of severed hand

The mother of a 5-year-old boy whose hand was severed in an accident says her son is preparing to enter physical rehabilitation as doctors wait for nerve regeneration in the reattached hand.

Cassidy Keene said doctors are pleased with her son Noah’s progress but that his swollen hand with a protruding pin remains a frightful sight, causing the boy to scream in terror when the bandages are changed.

The boy had a jump rope wrapped around his wrist while the rope dangled out of a vehicle on June 26. The rope snagged on another passing car, severing his hand and breaking his arm.

Keene told the Bangor Daily News that it’s been difficult to see her son suffer. She said mornings are tough when she changes the dressings.

AUGUSTA

Jefferson woman admits role in dozens of burglaries

A woman who police say acted as a driver or a lookout in dozens of burglaries and thefts committed by her boyfriend has pleaded guilty to taking part in 46 crimes.

Emily Allen-Perry of Jefferson pleaded guilty Wednesday in Kennebec County Superior Court to her involvement in the crimes between Sept. 1 and Dec. 27 in Augusta, Belgrade, Benton, Chelsea, Clinton, Farmingdale, Gardiner, Hallowell, Manchester, Readfield, Vassalboro, Windsor and Winthrop.

Prosecutors said Allen-Perry, 22, also took stolen items, including jewelry, to pawn stores.

The case was solved after Allen-Perry pawned some distinctive jewelry that was recognized by the owner.

Allen-Perry faces seven years in jail, with at least five suspended at sentencing.

Her lawyer described her as “a bright person.”

State says app available to calculate heat index

State labor officials say a new app is available to help people who work outdoors calculate the heat index and avoid heat-related illnesses.

Labor Commissioner Robert Winglass said the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has created a Heat Safety Tool that provides information on a mobile phone. Using the app, workers and supervisors can calculate the heat index for their work site.

The heat index is a measurement of air temperature in relation to relative humidity. It indicates what the temperature actually feels like.

Based on the heat index, the heat safety app displays a message for people working outdoors and provides reminders for the precautions that should be taken at certain risk levels.

BRUNSWICK

Motorcyclist hospitalized after crash on River Road

Brunswick police are investigating the cause of a motorcycle crash that resulted in one man being hospitalized with unknown injuries Thursday afternoon.

Police said 62-year-old Stephen Collins Jr. of Rocky Hill Road was riding north along River Road when his motorcycle left the road and hit a ledge.

The accident occurred about 2:30 p.m. Collins was treated at Maine Medical Center’s emergency room and his condition was unavailable at press time.

— From staff and news services