CRIME & SAFETY
Large police presence briefly shuts down Forest Avenue in Portland
PORTLAND (WGME) -- Forest Avenue in Portland was briefly closed Friday night because of a large police presence. Brad Nadeau from the Portland Police Department says officers were executing a high-risk search warrant on that street. The police department says that is all the information they're sharing at this time.
Part of Route 4 closes due to serious crash in Auburn
AUBURN, Maine — Part of Route 4 in Auburn has closed due to a serious crash Saturday afternoon. Route 4 (Turner Road) is closed to all traffic south of Fern Street in Turner due to a crash in the area of Gammon Landscaping, the Auburn Police Department and Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office said on social media.
Thursday marks 6 months since Lewiston mass shooting, remembrance ceremony to be held
LEWISTON (WGME) -- Thursday marks six months since the worst mass shooting in Maine’s history. On Oct. 25, a gunman opened fire at Just-in-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar and Grille in Lewiston, killing 18 and wounding 13 others. Seven people died at Just-in-Time Recreation, eight at Schemengees Bar and...
Man accused of crashing into police cruiser while driving wrong-way in Westbrook
WESTBROOK (WGME) – Authorities say a Maine man, who was under the influence, crashed into a police cruiser while driving the wrong way in Westbrook. Police say they received a report of an erratic driver on Stroudwater Street heading towards William Clarke Drive around 8:25 p.m. on Sunday. Police...
Portland police host event promoting crime victims' rights
PORTLAND (WGME) – This week is National Crime Victims' Rights Week, and Portland police marked the day by hosting Cumberland County's first victims’ rights event in Lincoln Park. In 2022, there were nearly 20 million crime victimizations in the United States, and 6.6 million were the result of...
Maine man who pleaded guilty to Portland murder seeks new trial
PORTLAND (WGME) -- A Maine man, who abruptly pleaded guilty to shooting and killing a man in Portland, will be back in court on Friday as he seeks to have that plea thrown out and get a new trial. Damion Butterfield was one of four defendants charged with the murder...
Fellow reservists warned of Lewiston gunman's plan for mass shooting
LEWISTON, Maine — An Army reservist and friend of the gunman behind Maine’s deadliest mass shooting testified Thursday about his friend's mental decline, describing publicly for the first time the warning he issued a month before the tragedy unfolded. Sean Hodgson texted leaders of his reserve unit six...
Cumberland County DA responds to video of drug use, fights in Portland
PORTLAND (WGME) – The Cumberland County District Attorney says she's taking action after video surfaced showing open drug use, fights and more in Portland. The landlord of a building on Portland Street shared the security video. He says he felt obligated to show what his tenants, including young children,...
6 months after Maine shootings, commission continues investigation
MANCHESTER, N.H. — A commission set up to investigate the response to mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, met again Thursday, six months after 18 people were killed and 13 others injured. The gunman opened fire at a restaurant and bar on Oct. 25. The youngest victim was 14, and...
Song gives voice to Lewiston community still healing from mass shooting
LEWISTON, Maine — There have been countless tributes to those who lost their lives in the Lewiston mass shooting six months ago. Singer-songwriter Scott Folsom, who grew up in the Lewiston-Auburn area, poured out his feelings about the tragedy in a poignant song released last month. "When It Comes"...
'I take responsibility for our agency:' County sheriff addresses Lewiston mass shooting
BATH (WGME) -- The current sheriff in Sagadahoc County is being challenged by one of his own deputies in the county sheriff's race. Both have been criticized for not taking steps that may have prevented the Lewiston mass shootings after the sheriff's office was warned twice about Robert Card. "I...
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