Tag: maine

Army reservist testifies he warned about gunman before mass shooting in Maine

An Army reservist and acquaintance of Robert Card, the gunman responsible for a mass shooting in Maine in 2023, testified on Thursday that he warned about Card’s behavior weeks before the attack occurred, the Associated Press reported.

Sean Hodgson told members of his reserve unit of his concerns with Card six weeks before a mass shooting in Maine that left 13 people wounded and 18 people dead, according to reports. It was the deadliest mass shooting in Maine’s history.

Hodgson told investigators that he observed strange behavior in Card and was concerned he might do something violent, according to the Associated Press. He said he believed Card was suffering from mental health problems, which prompted Hodgson to inform his superior officers and request that they change the passcodes to a gate at their training facility. He also warned them to arm themselves in the event Card appeared.

Hodgson also told investigators of a time when Card became violent with him and punched him in the face. Card had also threatened multiple members of his unit, and the incidents raised his concerns that Card would try to do something harmful to others, the Associated Press reported. Hodgson was also worried because Card had gun access.  

The magnitude of Card’s threats were steadily increasing, Hodgson said. 

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Maine Governor Signs Bill Allowing Marijuana Convictions To Be Sealed Upon Application

The Maine Legislature passed two bills that would expand eligibility for sealing criminal records, one that drops the age requirements for record sealing and another that allows for sealing now-legal marijuana crimes.

While these plans require people to apply to have records sealed, another proposal that would have automated the process failed after criticism that doing so would violate the First Amendment. That bill specifically applied to criminal records for marijuana possession and cultivation that’s since been legalized in Maine.

The Legislature signaled that Maine’s reconciliation with when it may be appropriate to seal criminal records is far from over, as it also passed a bill to make permanent a commission to continue to study the issue.

Unfinished work on this matter was made clear during floor speeches on these bills, as well, from lawmakers who voted both for and against the range of measures.

The bill that removed the age-related prerequisite for sealing criminal history, LD 2188, passed the House 87–59 and the Senate 25–9. Ahead of the Senate vote, Sen. Lisa Keim (R-Oxford), who voted against the bill, argued record sealing is the incorrect means to give people a fresh start.

“I’m very in favor of second changes and letting people rebuild their lives after making mistakes,” Keim said. “My problem with this legislation, and similar legislation, is the false sense of security.”

Rather than shielding the records from public view, Keim said Maine should instead develop a more robust pardon process.

While legislators agreed to provide a way for people to apply to have certain criminal histories sealed, the majority of the House and Senate did not go so far as to make record-sealing the default.

The bill the Legislature killed, LD 2269, would have tasked state agencies with reviewing criminal record information on a monthly basis and then sealing records for crimes that are no longer considered illegal under Maine’s adult use cannabis law, which was enacted in 2017.

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Maine lawmaker sparks fury as she asks ‘what did the Nazis do that was illegal’ while defending First Amendment rights of neo-Nazis to march through city

A Republican lawmaker has come under fire for defending Neo-Nazis’ right to assemble in Maine after Democrats shared a clip of her asking ‘what did the Nazis do that was illegal?’ 

Representative Laurel Libby made the comments on Wednesday in opposition to a bill that would ban unauthorized paramilitary training in the state, after a white supremacist tried to set up a Neo-Nazi training camp in the area last year.

Neo-Nazi groups staged several demonstrations, wearing all black, holding banners with racist slogans and giving ‘Heil Hitler’ salutes, in the state last year. 

Libby referred to their rallies, saying: ‘Let’s talk about the Nazis. I would like to know, although I’m not posing a question through the chair, I would like to know what they did that was illegal?’

Maine Democrats shared a clipped version of her speech online sparking outrage, with many accusing her of defending WWII Nazis and the Holocaust.

Libby said her comments on the floor of the State House were taken out of context ‘for fundraising purposes’ by Democrats.

She told DailyMail.com: ‘Even if I do not agree with an organization or person’s beliefs, it is my job to protect their constitutional right to free speech and association.’ 

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Maine Lawmakers Vote To Gut Drug Decriminalization Bill And Establish A Task Force To Study Reform Instead

Maine lawmakers have gutted a bill to decriminalize drug possession and invest in treatment resources, amending it in committee to simply create a task force to study the proposed reform.

The legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee unanimously voted to replace the original measure from Rep. Lydia Crafts (D) on Thursday.

As introduced, the measure would have repealed statutes criminalizing possession of Schedule W, X, Y and Z drugs and paraphernalia under state code. It also would have established a Substance Use, Health and Safety Fund under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The legislature would have needed to annually appropriate funds for the department to make investments to “increase voluntary access to community care for persons who need services related to substance use.”

But during a work session, members of the committee moved to strike those provisions, replacing it with the task force language instead.

“I would just like to say that I continue to stand very firmly behind my initial proposal, and I think that it’s important that the work we’re doing as a state continues to be framed through a public health lens,” Crafts said. “I believe that this work is not finished through this task force, and there will be more to do in the future.”

The revised legislation as described in committee would create a panel consisting of experts and legislative appointees, including people with backgrounds in public health and safety, substance misuse treatment and law enforcement.

The task force would be responsible for reviewing decriminalization policies in other jurisdictions, scholarly research on the impact of the reform, possible implications for drug courts, the outcomes of diverse programs for people with substance misuse disorders and more. A report with findings would be due by November 6, 2024.

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Maine’s Soros-Funded DA Will No Longer Prosecute Illegal Immigrants for Specific Traffic Offenses, Including Driving Without a License, and Driving with a Suspended Registration

Soros-funded Cumberland County District Attorney Jacqueline A. Sartoris announced a policy change that will no longer see illegal aliens charged for specific traffic violations within Maine’s most populous county.

This policy change, effective from March 1, has been met with mixed reactions due to its implications for illegal aliens operating motor vehicles in the area.

The announcement, detailed in a memo obtained by The Maine Wire, specifies that individuals, including illegal aliens, will no longer face criminal charges for certain traffic offenses. These offenses encompass driving without a license, driving with a suspended registration, or driving an unregistered motor vehicle.

Sartoris pointed out the DA’s office’s focus on ‘problem-solving’ and ‘focusing on genuine public safety cases,’ highlighting the overwhelming caseload, which is reportedly at 150% capacity.

“The focus for us is on problem-solving (making people get legal) and focusing on genuine public safety cases, of which we have plenty,” Sartoris said in the memo.

“If you have other thoughts about resolving our 150% caseload, please feel free to share them,” she said.

“At the moment, and for the foreseeable future, this step is prudent, responsive to real-world challenges, and a civil violation is the appropriate response when any of these are the only potential criminal charge,” she added.

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Maine Democratic Governor And GOP Senate Leader Oppose Bill To Decriminalize Drugs And Invest In Treatment

Maine saw a reduction in the number of overdose deaths in 2023. But with hundreds upon hundreds of drug-related deaths last year, advocates and lawmakers say the state is still in the midst of a serious crisis.

In total, there were 607 confirmed or suspected overdose deaths in 2023, a 16 percent drop from the record total of 723 in 2022. Along with the 607 deaths, there were 9,047 confirmed nonfatal overdoses last year (compared to 9,760 in 2022).

“I think it’s hard to talk about this because that’s still 607 people who died last year and I don’t want to celebrate that whatsoever,” said Courtney Gary-Allen, organizing director of the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project. “That being said, there is a reduction, and I think we should be proud of the work that we’ve all collectively done on this issue.”

Gary-Allen cited investments in treatment by Gov. Janet Mills’ administration, the bipartisan consensus that substance use is a serious crisis that needs to be addressed, and the passage of the Good Samaritan law—which created enhanced protections from prosecution at the scene of an overdose to encourage people to call for help—as possible reasons for the reduction in deaths in 2023. Others have also cited the increased availability of the opioid overdose reversal naloxone.

Still, Gary-Allen said there is much more to do to address the overdose epidemic.

“I still have the faces in my head” of those who have died from drug overdoses, she said.

One proposal, backed by advocates in the recovery community and sponsored by Rep. Lydia Crafts (D-Newcastle), is to decriminalize the personal possession of illegal drugs and invest in an array of treatment options.

Supporters of the measure argue that criminalizing drug use pushes people into the shadows, making it harder for them to get help. Policing drug use and imprisoning people for substance use-related crimes also takes money away from a treatment-based approach, proponents of the bill say.

In all, policy analysts estimate the state could save around $45 million a year from not punishing people for possession of small amounts of drugs. Under the terms of the proposal, that money would then be invested into expanding what advocates say are often scant treatment options around the state.

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Maine Police to Probe Predator Poacher’s Bust To Ensure Rights of Alleged Pedo Weren’t Violated

Police in Maine say they’re investigating the Predator Poacher group’s recent bust of an alleged pedophile, claiming they want to ensure the rights of the suspect weren’t violated.

In footage recorded by group leader Alex Rosen, a Somerset County officer can be heard telling Rosen he was under orders not to accept evidence from the group, which had just garnered a taped confession of guilt from an alleged child predator they’d baited online, and that only information given to the officer by the suspect could be accepted.

“We had a catch today in Maine where the PREDATOR admits to real life victims, child porn, an attraction to infants, and sexual intent with a 13-year-old decoy… All of this was bundled into a 2 hour long confession, and Somerset county cops didn’t want to even view the evidence. Instead they let a dangerous predator drive off…” Rosen documented on X Sunday, tagging the Maine State Police in the post.

Rosen published screenshots of graphic text message conversations exchanged with the alleged child predator, who believed he was speaking to a 13-year-old before attempting to go meet the child in person.

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Maine moves to create ‘sanctuary state’ for child sex changes

A Maine judiciary committee will decide on Wednesday morning whether a bill permitting minors to travel to the state to seek sex changes and granting the state custody over children will move to the floor. 

LD1735, also called An Act to Safeguard Gender-affirming Health Care, was introduced to the House of Representatives in the state in April of 2023 by Rep. Laurie Osher of Orono, and is cosponsored by Reps Erin Sheehan of Biddeford, Nina Milliken of Blue Hill, Suzanne Salisbury of Westbrook, Mark Worth of Ellsworth, and Rep. Matt Moonen of Portland as well as Senator Anne Carney of Cumberland.

Courage is a Habit, a group fighting for parental rights in states across the nation, is leading an effort to stop this bill. With a deadline of 10 pm on Tuesday, the group urges the public to contact members of the state judiciary committee to voice their concerns. 

Alvin Lui, president of Courage is a Habit, told The Post Millennial that people who do not live in Maine should contact the committee members as well as Maine residents as the bill “affects everybody’s parental rights.”

Sample emails provided by the group tell the members that “There is a lack of long-term studies on the benefits of ‘gender-affirming care,’ which could result in the life-long sterilization and surgical mutilation of children,” “With lawsuits against hospitals and schools on the rise in 2023, the public is becoming more aware of the potential risks associated with this bill,” and “Protecting parental rights and the well-being of children should be our top priority. I urge you to vote “ought not to pass” on LD 1735.”

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Maine’s Bad Prostitution Law Could Be Coming Soon to Your State

In 2023, Maine became the first U.S. state to partially decriminalize prostitution. It’s unlikely to be the last. And sex-worker rights activists are concerned.

By criminalizing prostitution customers but not sex workers, Maine’s law may seem like a step in the right direction. But it threatens to derail momentum for full decriminalization, while recreating many of full prohibition’s harms.

It also represents a paternalistic philosophical premise: that sex workers are all victims and their consent to sexual activity is—like a minor’s—irrelevant. And this premise is used to justify all sorts of bad programs and policies, including drastically ramping up penalties for people who pay for sex.

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Maine Secretary of State Claims Politics Played ‘No Role’ in Booting Trump Off Ballot

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has denied that politics played any role in her unilateral decision to bar former President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot, as she faces backlash that includes a push for her impeachment.

Ms. Bellows, whose office oversees elections in Maine, ruled on Dec. 28 to disqualify President Trump, who currently leads the Republican primary race, from the state’s 2024 presidential primary ballot on the grounds that he supposedly incited an “insurrection” when a crowd breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Her decision was based on an interpretation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars people from holding office if they’ve engaged in an “insurrection or rebellion” against the U.S. government. President Trump, who has denied such allegations, has not been charged with insurrection.

While Ms. Bellows has been accused of making a politically-driven decision to interfere in the election, she denied that her decision to disqualify President Trump from the ballot was political.

“Politics and my personal views played no role,” Ms. Bellows, a Democrat, claimed in a Jan. 1 interview with NPR. “I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, and that is what I did.”

Despite such denials, Ms. Bellows has faced sharp criticism.

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