WATERBORO

Police use Taser on suspect who fled, jumped off ledge

A man who jumped off a ledge while fleeing police Monday was stunned with a Taser before being arrested.

Billie Joe Gregoire, 44, of Shapleigh was charged with drunken driving and refusing to submit to arrest, said Maj. William King Jr. of the York County Sheriff’s Office.

King said deputies responded around 11:30 a.m. Monday to a call from a Maine game warden who had stopped a driver on Webber Road.

King said that when Deputy Gil Hudson asked Gregoire for identification, Gregoire provided a false name, age and Social Security number. Gregoire also told the officer he was a teacher at a local school, which was false.

Gregoire failed a field sobriety test, King said. When Hudson tried arrest him on a drunken-driving charge, Gregoire fled into a wooded area and then jumped at least 8 feet off a ledge, eluding Hudson and another deputy.

Police cordoned off the area. Gregoire emerged from the woods, resisted arrest and was Tasered, King said.

Gregoire was held in the York County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in Springvale District Court on Dec. 18.

PORTLAND

Man arrested for starting fire in his side of duplex

A Portland man was held on $50,000 bail after his arrest on arson charges in connection with a fire in his apartment.

Police arrested Michael Irving, 45, on Monday about four hours after a fire at 9 Freeman St. was reported at 3 p.m.

When emergency workers arrived they found heavy smoke coming from the duplex and Irving standing in the doorway. He told officers they were not needed, police said in a statement.

No one was home in the other side of the building and nobody was injured.

The building sustained fire and heavy smoke damage, the city said.

Investigators said the fire was started in a number of locations inside the apartment and that a flammable liquid was used.

BIDDEFORD

Avesta celebrating opening of 24 senior housing units

Avesta Housing will hold an event Thursday to celebrate the opening of 24 apartments for seniors in a historic former school building.

The celebration, from 10 a.m. to noon, will feature several speakers, including state historian Earle Shettleworth. Guests will explore the three-story building and tour apartments.

Emery School, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was renovated to include one- and two-bedroom apartments, laundry facilities and community rooms.

The Georgian Revival-style building was built in 1913 in a neighborhood just off of Hill Street. It was named for Thomas H. Emery, who taught in the city from 1865 to 1890.

Emery School was used by the public school system until 1993, when it became home to the St. Louis Child Development Center. The building sat vacant from 2007 until July, when the first residents moved in.

The project included exterior renovations to preserve the building’s granite and cast stone trim and red brick facade. The original wood floors, trim and tin ceilings were restored.

Many parts of the building remained intact, such as chalkboards and glass-paned cabinets that held books.

AUGUSTA

State accepting proposals for transmitting electricity

The state is accepting letters of intent for the possible use of state-owned Interstate 95 and I-295 as corridors for transmitting electricity.

State Energy Director Ken Fletcher said Maine’s Energy Infrastructure Interagency Review Panel is accepting the proposals.

Fletcher said the project can reduce energy costs for Mainers.

By law, those wishing to submit proposals must prove it will not impede in-state electricity generation and demonstrate that it will lower electricity rates and energy costs for Maine consumers.