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PublishedApril 20, 2011
‘Just another day’
My colleague and good friend, Trooper Mark Nickerson, routinely ends his columns with the phrase “just another day.”I’d like to tell about some of those days, memorable times that I shared with my good friend. At the same time, I want to rebut the slam-dunk blame game he directed my way in his last column. Mark attempted to crucify me as being the reason for the one and only lawsuit he ever dealt with during …
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PublishedMarch 23, 2011
Another Waldo County Bermuda Triangle tragedy
In previous columns, I’ve described a geographical area in Searsmont that has been the site of more than its fair share of personal tragedies. This area is located along the Route 3 corridor between the villages of Morrill and Liberty.I often refer to this location as Waldo County’s version of Bermuda Triangle, a place where strange and sometimes inexplicable events occur.Over the years, this triangle has been …
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PublishedMarch 16, 2011
It’s cold and wet, but …
In light of the tragedies, storms and other disasters these past few weeks, I’ve changed my mind about thinking negatively about where I live. These devastating incidents were totally under the control of “Mother Nature” and completely out of our hands. We Mainers should consider ourselves very fortunate that we have been, so far, exempt from these tragedies.Even though many recent daily conversations have …
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PublishedMarch 2, 2011
Duty calls, even on days off
May 19, 1984, was my scheduled day off. I could finally plan on doing those household chores that I’d neglected for a while.It was an unusually warm spring day as I puttered outside, enjoying my time off. However, those pesky black flies were out in full force and were constantly buzzing around my head. But I needed to complete the chores I’d neglected, so I pretended as if they weren’t there.Late that afternoon, …
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PublishedFebruary 18, 2011
A better use of the finger
Those of us in law enforcement often witnessed the use of the almighty finger when approaching a suspect or a person whose opinion of the man behind the badge wasn’t complimentary. The middle-finger salute didn’t particularly mean we were No. 1 in the flipper’s book, by any means.Unlike defiant culprits who used fingers to send a personalized message to those of us in uniform, I recall an incident when my finger …
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PublishedFebruary 15, 2010
Memories from a Game Warden’s Diary: Up a creek without a paddle
As I scan through the diaries, I certainly never lacked for activity during October 1981. Every single day seemed to present a challenge of some sort.The busy season for wardens was just beginning with the opening of duck hunting season.I hated working duck hunters. Every time I attempted the task with a sense of dutiful vigor, some major catastrophe seemed to occur. I seldom came close to bagging a duck hunter …
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PublishedFebruary 2, 2010
Memories from a Game Warden’s Diary: Collection of shorts
The year 1981 was an active one filled with a wide variety of activities. With the Moody Mountain manhunt fiasco finally over, I was relieved to again be back on routine patrol working night hunters, night after night.Aug. 23, 1981, I found myself on another K9 call. It was in the black of night when I was asked to assist my boss, Sgt. Bill Allen and his K9 Satan. Thanks to Satan’s tracking ability, they were …
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PublishedJanuary 18, 2010
Memories from a Game Warden’s Diary: Moody Mountain Manhunt, part III
The search for escaped inmates Milton Wallace and Arnold Nash officially ended mid-afternoon Aug. 5, 1981. A large squad of police officers, wardens, deputies and prison guards, including 18 K9 teams, had combed a triangular area of dense woods where these men were thought to be hiding. But the all-out effort had been unsuccessful.Upon returning home, I enjoyed a warm shower and was ready to eat a hot meal when I …
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PublishedJanuary 11, 2010
The Moody Mountain Manhunt – part 2
It was Saturday afternoon, Aug. 1, 1981, when Maine State Police Trooper Dennis McLellan and myself were ambushed at gunpoint by two Maine State Prison escapees.We hastily sought cover on our stomachs in the nearby bushes, desperately trying to locate exactly where these men had positioned themselves. One of them screamed for us to disarm, as he poked a rifle barrel out of the low-hanging branches a few feet …
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PublishedJanuary 4, 2010
Memories from a Game Warden’s Diary: Moody Mountain Manhunt – part 1
Several articles have been written recently about Maine State Police troopers and their K9s. These dedicated officers and their trained police dogs are invaluable to the law enforcement profession and deserve far more credit than what they get.I’ll relate one of the more hair-raising experiences I shared with Troopers Dennis Hayden and Dennis McLellan and their K9s, Skipper and Ben, when I joined them Aug. 1, …
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