WATERVILLE

Accident restarts fire, halting a paper machine

A fire that was believed to be out in the early evening Thursday reignited and spread to electrical wires at the Huhtamaki paper mill a few hours later, forcing the evacuation of some employees and a temporary shutdown of equipment in the affected area, according to company officials.

The fire was originally reported on a machine that makes paper plates at around 5:50 p.m. It later reignited, apparently because millworkers accidentally pushed the embers onto a tray containing electrical wires, said Waterville Fire Chief David LaFountain.

The second fire, reported at around 10:30 p.m., brought fire crews from Fairfield and Waterville to the scene for close to six hours.

Damage to the mill was minimal and only employees in a “small area” were evacuated, said Wess Hudelson, communications manager for Huhtamaki North America.

LEWISTON

Justice MaryGay Kennedy gets hit-run murder case

Court officials say a judge has been assigned to the case of a Lewiston man charged with running down and killing his pregnant girlfriend before trying to flee to Haiti.

Justice MaryGay Kennedy will hear the case of Evaristo Deus, who is being held without bail. His girlfriend, Laudrinha Kubeloso, was four months pregnant when she was struck from behind by an SUV and later pronounced dead. Deus is charged with murder.

Court officials say it is still unclear when or if Deus will have a bail hearing. He has also not been assigned a court date. His attorney did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. The attorney has said Deus will enter a not guilty plea.

FRYEBURG

Accidental overdose leads to drug charge

Fryeburg police were called to a Main Street gas station Thursday night where they found a Scarborough resident who had accidentally overdosed, possibly on methamphetamines, and collapsed near the gas pumps, police said.

Officer Dale Strout, a paramedic, cared for the 25-year-old until rescue workers arrived and took him to Memorial Hospital in Conway, New Hampshire, in critical condition, police said.

Police seized 1.6 grams of bath salts and charged Elizabeth Nappi, 25 of Biddeford – a passenger in the Honda Civic – with drug possession, police said.

SKOWHEGAN

Gifford’s takes top prize in ice cream competition

Gifford’s Ice Cream was picked from among 150 ice cream entries nationwide to be named 2014 Ice Cream Grand Champion by the World Dairy Expo, an event produced by a Wisconsin dairy trade association.

The win marks the fifth consecutive year that Gifford’s has taken the top prize for chocolate. Three of the company’s vanilla ice creams also won first-place awards.

The Wisconsin Dairy Products Association sponsors the annual competition, which features eight ice cream categories along with 63 others for cheese and other assorted dairy products. Each ice cream entry is judged in a blind taste test, based on flavor, body and texture, melting quality, color and appearance.

“It’s a huge surprise and a tremendous honor,” said Lindsay Gifford-Skilling, general manager of the Skowhegan-based chain. “Our employees deserve the credit for this honor.”

Earlier in the summer, Gifford-Skilling announced that her family’s company had hit an all-time high sales record – 1.7 million gallons.

BELMONT

Registered sex offender accused of abusing girl, 11

A Belmont man already on Maine’s sex offender registry is facing new charges.

The Waldo County Sheriff’s Office says 44-year-old Adam Cross was charged this week with gross sexual assault for allegedly abusing an 11-year-old girl.

Sheriff’s deputies, acting on a tip about inappropriate behavior in a public setting, talked to the alleged victim before arresting Cross.

Authorities say the girl is not related to Cross.

Cross is on the state’s sex offender registry after being convicted in 1998 of multiple counts of gross sexual assault.

He is being held in jail on $10,000 cash bail and it’s unclear if he has a lawyer.

BANGOR

Police recover cash, goods in probe of Walmart thefts

A retail theft ring that involved hundreds of items stolen from four Walmarts and sold on eBay has been broken up, state police said Friday.

Homes that were searched in Bangor, Bucksport and Frankfort on Thursday yielded $240,000 in cash and stolen items including Legos, Crest white strips, archery equipment and a 46-inch television, said Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

He said an investigation involving the Computer Crimes Unit pointed to a man in Bucksport who was buying and selling merchandise and a woman in Frankfurt, where a home was used for storage of cash and stolen goods.

No one has been charged with the thefts. But Jane Tardiff, of Frankfort, was arrested because she brandished a handgun when officers arrived to serve a search warrant, police said. She was charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon before being released from the Waldo County Jail.

BRUNSWICK

Site for dredge sediment to be discussed Monday

The Department of Marine Resources will hold a meeting Monday to discuss a revised route for removing sediment dredged from the Royal River.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Brunswick High School cafeteria at 116 Maquoit Road in Brunswick. The DMR said those attending should park behind the high school building.

Dredging was supposed to begin Oct. 1, but the start has been delayed to Oct. 14.

— From staff and news services

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