Latest news with #MaineDepartmentofPublicSafety
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Nonprofit founder who trained Maine's first comfort dogs mourns his loss
May 30—Maine's first comfort dog, Baxter, had been rescued as a puppy and bottle-fed by volunteers for a nonprofit in New Hampshire that pairs trained dogs with veterans and first responders. "We're heartbroken," the organization's founder, Laura Barker, said in an interview on Friday, a day after the Maine Department of Public Safety announced Baxter had been found dead in a state vehicle. "We know that Baxter was loved his whole time on Earth," Barker said. "He also helped a lot of people while he was here." Barker said she and her colleagues are still in shock at the loss, and are confident that the department will conduct a thorough investigation. It's still unclear exactly what led to Baxter's death. The 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever had been working as a comfort dog for dispatchers under the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications since he was introduced to the state in the fall of 2022. A spokesperson for the department said he was found dead Wednesday afternoon after the vehicle "unexpectedly" shut off while he was inside. The vehicle was parked at the communications center in Bangor, where the National Weather Service recorded temperatures up to 82 degrees that afternoon. Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for DPS, said she could not answer questions about the type of vehicle and how long the dog was left inside. She confirmed that Brodie Hinckley, the director of the Bureau of Emergency Communications, had been Baxter's handler. Hinckley did not respond to requests for an interview on Friday. Moss did not answer follow up questions asking if Hinckley was placed on leave. Some newer vehicles have an auto shut-off feature, where the engine is disabled after a certain amount of time if it's left running while parked. In recent years, some police departments have purchased technology that will alert officers if the car shuts off or gets too hot. The Humane World for Animals, formerly known as the Humane Society, notes that temperatures inside a car can rise rapidly in minutes. Even with the windows opened slightly, temperatures can reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes on an 85 degree day, according to Humane World. Baxter was trained through Hero Pups and AT&T FirstNet paid for the dog's vet visits and supplies before he joined the bureau in 2022, according to Hero Pups and the Department of Public Safety. Barker, Hero Pups founder, said Baxter's DPS handler took care of him full-time after his first birthday, but he came back to the New Hampshire non-profit occasionally for training. She encouraged the public to wait to hear all of the details before assuming what happened. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Limerick woman killed in head-on collision in Cornish
May 5—A Limerick woman was killed in a head-on collision in Cornish after driving her vehicle across the center line of a road Monday afternoon, police said. Dawn Webber, 51, was driving northbound on Sokokis Trail North when her Ford Fusion crossed the center line and collided with a Ford F-350 commercial vehicle that was towing two pickup trucks on a trailer. Webber was pronounced dead at the scene, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in a written statement. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured. Emergency crews responded at around 1:45 p.m. and closed the road for about six hours as state police investigators reconstructed the crash, she said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, Moss said. The other vehicle's driver was not identified. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Boston Globe
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Maine man accused of making threat against President Trump, federal court documents say
Bell's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment. On April 5, a Maine Department of Public Safety senior investigator was having lunch at a restaurant in Bridgton, Maine when Bell allegedly made the threat, according to an affidavit in support of the criminal complaint filed in federal court this week. Advertisement The officer was sitting at the bar and noticed a person, later identified as Bell, looking through the windows of the officer's unmarked vehicle in the parking lot of the restaurant. When Bell came into the restaurant he allegedly struck up a conversation with the officer, the affidavit stated. 'At some point in the conversation, Bell made a threat to the President of the United States ('POTUS'), by stating, 'I wanted to shoot Bush but didn't, but now Trump is in and I don't care for him,' and then continuing to say either, 'I'll try to shoot him' or 'I'll just shoot him,'' the affidavit stated. After making those comments, Bell said he needed 'to stop making comments about killing the President,' because he was going to get in trouble, according to the affidavit. Advertisement 'Bell continued to discuss his hatred for Former POTUS ('FPOTUS') George W. Bush but indicated he never acted on those thoughts,' the affidavit said. Bell allegedly made other comments to the officer, including that he '... is able to take over a plane and crash it, hurting a lot more people,' the affadavit stated. 'Bell reiterated to the officer that he was surprised he is still able to fly and that the government still trusts him with a plane, stating he can fly undetected out of 'Eastern Slopes' to do anything he wants, 'like fly to DC.'' Eastern Slopes is a regional airport located in Fryeburg, Maine, according to the affidavit. Police obtained a state warrant for Bell's arrest and he was arrested without incident later that day. Following his arrest, Bell agreed to speak to special agents from the FBI and US Secret Service and he denied making any threats to the President during his conversation with the officer, the affidavit stated. He also told them that in January 2025 he was fired from his job at a company based out of Kansas City, Missouri because of threats, the affidavit stated. 'Bell, a software engineer, indicated the threats were that he was going to put 'bugs in his code,' as well as leak information should he ever acquire a security clearance,' the affidavit stated. The company Bell said he worked for 'is an aviation company that works with avionic displays, navigation and communication platforms, among other products, in the commercial, corporate, and defense markets,' the affidavit said. Emily Sweeney can be reached at
