Central Maine News: Edgecomb Mother Accused of Giving Pot Browning to 13-Year Old Daughter

These are some of the stories central Maine is talking about today.

Jennifer Becker of Edgecomb is accused of giving her 13-year-old daughter brownies laced with marijuana. The investigation started because of a call to the DHHS child protection tip line. Becker told WGME, "My daughter has issues. This is being blown out of proportion. Becker is expected in court next month. She isn't allowed to contact her daughter, who is staying with her father. Becker is the owner of Farmers Overall, a hemp distribution company.

The investigation continues into the death of Steven Hodgdon, 49, of Troy, who was discovered at his home on Rutland Road, more than a week ago.
An autopsy was held last week but the results have been withheld for the purposes of the investigation. Authorities have not said whether the death is considered suspicious.

Randy Tremaine of Thorndike is being held without bail at the Waldo County Jail. He's is accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend, setting his house on fire and threatening firefighters this past Saturday. He is charged with arson and domestic violence assault. According to WGME, Tremaine fought with his ex-girlfriend who was at the home to pick up some of her things. He allegedly set his house on fire, after the fight.

University of Maine System trustees have voted to freeze in-state tuition — again. The board approved a resolution on Monday that'll mean a fourth consecutive year in which tuition will remain at 2013 levels, pending approval of the governor's budget for Maine's universities. In 2012, university system officials and the state agreed to keep funding the state's seven universities at their current level in exchange for the schools holding tuition levels flat. This would be the fourth year without an in-state tuition hike, making it the longest-running tuition freeze in the history of a public university system founded in 1969. The University of Maine System Board of Trustees is expected to complete work on its 2016 budget, complete with the tuition freeze, next month. (AP)

A Maine man charged with killing his girlfriend and her two young children last year is slated for arraignment this week. Police charged 27-year-old Keith Coleman of Garland with three counts of murder for the deaths of 36-year-old Christina Sargent, 10-year-old Duwayne Coke and 8-year-old Destiny Sargent. He will be arraigned on Friday in Penobscot County Superior Court in Bangor. Investigators say the three bodies were found Dec. 20 in a Garland mobile home Coleman shared with the three victims. Coleman appeared in a Bangor court on Dec. 22 and was ordered held without bail. Court-appointed attorney Martha Harris represented Coleman that day. She has not returned phone calls about the case. (AP)

The mayor of Portland, Maine, will meet with U.S. and Icelandic ambassadors about ongoing plans for the New England Ocean Cluster House business incubator project.
The cluster house would seek to grow new maritime commercial enterprises on Portland's waterfront. Portland Mayor Michael Brennan will meet with U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Rob Barber, Iceland's ambassador to the United States, representatives for the cluster house and others at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The mayor and others will speak at the event at the U.S. Custom House on Fore Street in Portland. Thor Sigfusson runs the Iceland Ocean Cluster in Reykjavik and is working to help create the Portland facility. The facility is slated to be located at a city-owned building on the Maine State Pier. A conceptual design will be unveiled on Tuesday. (AP)

Maine officials will hold a public meeting about the state's plans for 12,000 acres of public land near Crocker Mountain. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Bureau of Parks and Lands will host the meeting Wednesday at the University of Maine's Farmington campus. The meeting will focus on the state's Crocker Mountain Management Plan, which will steer the state's management of the land. Eight-thousand of the acres are located west of Sugarloaf Mountain and the other 4,000 are south of Sugarloaf. State officials say the management plan will be effective until June 2022. The area includes a 9.7-mile piece of the Appalachian Trail corridor and includes snowmobile and ATV trails. Officials say part of the land must be designated as an ecological reserve. (AP)

The Maine Marine Patrol is promoting a 21-year veteran of the force to serve as its second in command. State Department of Marine Resources officials say Rene Cloutier is the patrol's new major. Officials say Cloutier is ascending to the post patrol leader Colonel Jon Cornish formerly held. Cornish became the colonel in January. Cloutier formerly served as a lieutenant in the patrol's first division, which stretches from the New Hampshire border to the Cushing, Maine, area. He has also held numerous other posts with the service. The Maine Marine Patrol provides law enforcement, search and rescue and maritime security on the state's coastal and tidal waters. (AP)

Three of Maine's four federally recognized Indian tribes are discussing legalizing marijuana on their lands. The Portland Press Herald reports that the Passamaquoddy at Pleasant Point, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the Aroostook Band of Micmacs say they are actively studying or discussing legalization and whether it would bring economic benefits to their communities. Tribe members say they are in the very early stages of discussing the issue and have made no decisions about the scope of legalization, such as whether it would be limited to allowing tribal members to grow or use marijuana for personal purposes, or whether it would be defined more broadly. The Penobscot Nation says it has no intentions of legalizing marijuana.

A bill for $1.40 sent out by a Maine water district almost a half century ago has finally been returned. The Brunswick and Topsham Water District mailed the bill to a resident of Topsham in October 1969. The bill was supposed to be returned to the water district by the post office because customer Dennis Baribeau's post office box had been closed. However, it never found its way back to the district until last Tuesday, 46 years later. Linda Deacetis, the district's executive secretary, tells The Times Record she was quite surprised to receive the bill. The district believes that Baribeau has since passed away. The bill had a 6-cent stamp on it.