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.
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...
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...
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...
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,...
Mainers observe National Crime Victims' Rights Week on six-month anniversary of Lewiston shootings
PORTLAND, Maine — By coincidence, the six-month anniversary of the Oct. 25 Lewiston mass shooting fell in the middle of National Crime Victims' Rights Week. The Department of Justice created the national awareness week in 1981 "to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime," the department's website reads.
'Blue envelope program' in Cape Elizabeth helps police interactions for those with autism
CAPE ELIZABETH (WGME) -- Police in Cape Elizabeth are working to improve interactions between officers and drivers who may have autism, anxiety or other ailments. The "blue envelope program" was started in 2020 in Connecticut and has since spread to other states. Cape Elizabeth was the first community in Maine...
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