If you hear the sound from a rumble strip, you might be hearing a life being saved.

 

Maine's Leading Crash Issue...

Maine experiences an average of 800 head-on crashes a year and they are devastating - claiming an average of nearly 40 lives a year!

What causes drivers to come off the roadway or out of their lane? The leading factors are:

• driver fatigue and drowsiness
• distracted driving
• unsafe speed
• alcohol and drugs

Slippery road surfaces and poor visibility in adverse weather conditions can add to the susceptibility to lane departure.

Although vehicle technologies are being developed to help keep a driver aware of lane discipline, there needs to be other mitigations available to make wayward drivers aware that they are putting themselves and others in danger. The most effective and proven safety step is installation of rumble strips - they are a counter measure for driver error. They are used programmatically in other states. Use of rumble strips has contributed to a significant reduction at these serious late departure crashes.

An Effective Safety Solution...

What do rumble strips accomplish? For those drivers who are about to unintentionally drive off the pavement edge or cross the centerline, rumble strips create noise and vibration inside the vehicle through interaction with the vehicle tires. Often this alert is strong enough to get the attention of the distracted or drowsy driver, who can quickly make a corrective steering motion to return to the roadway safely.

Rumble strips can also alert drivers to the lane limits when conditions such as rain, fog, or snow reduce driver visibility. Rumble strips retain lane paint markings, thereby providing drivers improved lane identification.

Rumble Strip Types

Edge line (or shoulder) rumble strips are placed on the right side of the lane, designed to alert drivers when they have drifted from their lane.

Centerline rumble strips are the most common treatment installed on Maine's two lane roads - designed to alert drivers who may be heading for a potentially deadly collision, that endangers them and others on the road.

Questions? Comments? Contact the MaineDOT Safety Office:

207-624-3278

duane.brunell@maine.gov

Knox County Sheriff's Log

The Knox County Sheriff's Office responded to 306 calls July 5-11:

July 5

Deputies Jeremy Joslyn and Sgt. Matt Elwell responded to a report of an underage drinking party in Rockport. Two females were issued summonses for illegal possession of liquor by a minor.

Subsequent to a traffic stop in Warren, Deputy Nathaniel Jack issued a summons for failure to produce insurance.

Jack began an investigation of theft in Appleton. This is still an active investigation.

Subsequent to a traffic stop in Thomaston, Deputy Paul Pinkham issued a summons for no inspection.

Deputy Robert Potter conducted a radar detail on Vinalhaven. No violations were noted.

Potter responded to a report of a domestic on Vinalhaven. This was deemed a verbal argument only and the parties were separated.

Joslyn conducted a radar detail in Washington. No violations were noted.

Deputy Pat Polky began an investigation of threatening on Matinicus. This is still an active investigation.

Deputies John Hansen and Sgt. Elwell conducted a countywide OUI detail. No arrests were noted.

Polky arrested Christopher Pollis, 24, of Union on two outstanding arrest warrants. Subject was escorted to Knox County Jail without incident.

July 6

Jack responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in Washington involving a single vehicle. Reportable damage sustained.

Potter conducted a radar detail on Vinalhaven. No violations were noted.

Sgt. Lance Mitchell conducted a radar detail in Cushing. No violations were noted.

Polky arrested Dustin Robinson, 27, of Thomaston on an outstanding arrest warrant. Subject was escorted to Knox County Jail without incident.

July 7

Det. Don Murray arrested Donald Simmons, 26, of Rockland on an outstanding arrest warrant.

Jack began an investigation of theft in St. George. This is still an active investigation.

Deputy Justin Hills began an investigation of burglary in Warren. This is still an active investigation.

July 8

Subsequent to a traffic stop in Warren, Joslyn arrested Cynthia Hatt, 59, of Warren on a charge of operating without a license. Subject was taken to Knox County Jail without incident.

Spear and Sgt. Mitchell responded to a report of a domestic in Owls Head. This was deemed a verbal argument only and the parties were separated.

Potter conducted a radar detail on Vinalhaven. No violations were noted.

Joslyn arrested Wesley Williams, 25, of Cushing on two outstanding arrest warrants, along with a charge of criminal mischief. Subject was transported to Knox County Jail without incident.

Subsequent to a traffic stop in Warren, Spear issued summonses for operating after suspension and attaching false plates.

July 9

Joslyn responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in South Thomaston involving a single vehicle with reportable damage. Due to the operator leaving the scene, he was issued summonses for leaving the scene and failing to give notice of an accident by quickest means.

Deputy John Hansen conducted a radar detail on North Haven. No violations were noted.

Pinkham responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in Warren involving two vehicles. Reportable damage sustained.

Joslyn began an investigation of theft in Friendship. This is still an active investigation.

Joslyn responded to a request for a well-being check in  Warren. The female in question was taken to Pen Bay Medical Center for an evaluation.

Subsequent to a traffic stop in Union, Spear issued a summons for failure to register motor vehicle.

July 10

Smith conducted a radar detail in Owls Head. No violations were noted.

Smith and Pinkham responded to a report of a domestic in St. George. Subsequent to this response, Adam Ridlon, 33, of St. George was arrested on a charge of domestic violence terrorizing. Subject was transported to the Knox County Jail without incident.

Hansen conducted a radar detail on North Haven. No violations were noted.

Potter responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash on Vinalhaven involving two vehicles. Reportable damage sustained.

Joslyn conducted a bail check on an adult male in Friendship. The male was issued a summons for violating his bail.

Polky conducted a radar detail in South Thomaston. No violations were noted.

Polky and Ken Smith conducted a countywide OUI detail. No OUI arrests were made.

July 11

Joslyn responded to a report of an erratic vehicle in Washington. The driver was located and showed no signs of impairment.

Pinkham responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in Friendship involving a single vehicle with reportable damage. The operator was issued a summons for failure to report a crash by quickest means.

Spear responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in St. George involving a single vehicle. Reportable damage sustained.

Potter conducted a radar detail on Vinalhaven. No violations were noted.

Spear and Hills conducted a countywide OUI detail. No OUI arrests were made.

Joslyn and Sgt. Elwell responded to a report of a domestic in St. George. Subsequent to this response, Steven Ausplund, 56, of Tenants Harbor was arrested for domestic violence assault.

An arrest or summons does not constitute a finding of guilt. An individual charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at criminal proceedings.

Knox County Sheriff's Log

The Knox County Sheriff's Office responded to 259 calls for service June 28 to July 4:

June 28

Deputies Pat Polky and Justin Hills responded to a report of suspicious activity in Warren. Subsequent to this response, John Ruiz, 22, of Waldoboro, was arrested on charges of motor vehicle burglary and criminal mischief.

Deputy Paul Spear arrested Broderick Paton, 21, of Waldoboro, on a charge of violating condition of release.

Deputy Arthur Smith conducted a radar detail in Friendship. No violations were noted.

Deputy Jeremy Joslyn responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in Owls Head involving a single vehicle. Reportable damage sustained.

Polky arrested Brooke Hall, 28, of Hope, on a charge of operating under the influence of drugs.

June 29

Smith responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in Hope involving a single vehicle striking a deer. Reportable damage sustained.

Smith responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in Warren involving two vehicles. Reportable damage sustained.

Deputy Nathaniel Jack began an investigation of harassment in Union. The suspect was located and issued warnings for harassment and trespassing.

Deputy Robert Potter conducted a radar detail on Vinalhaven. No violations were noted.

Hills began an investigation of harassment in Cushing. The suspect will be issued a warning once located.

Hills began an investigation of harassment in Warren. The suspect was located and issued a warning for same.

June 30

Smith began an investigation of trespassing in Warren. Suspect will be issued a warning once located.

Polky arrested Nikole Linker, 26, of Hope, on outstanding arrest warrants.

July 1

Hills responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in  Appleton involving a single vehicle striking a deer. Non-reportable damage sustained.

Potter conducted a radar detail on Vinalhaven. No violations were noted.

July 2

Jack began an investigation on a missing adult male from Warren. The male was later located at Miles Memorial Hospital.

Detective Don Murray began an investigation of assault in Hope. Subsequent to this investigation, David Bresnahan, 22, of Hope, was arrested on a charge of domestic violence assault.

Jack and Deputy Paul Pinkham responded to a report of a domestic in Hope. This was deemed a verbal argument only.

Spear responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in South Thomaston involving two vehicles. This was deemed non-reportable, as it happened on private property.

Joslyn arrested Jossilyn Robbins, 30, of Rockland, on charges of a probation violation and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.

Subsequent to a traffic stop in South Thomaston, Joslyn issued a summons for expired license.

Sgt. Matt Elwell arrested Kimberly Mathieson, 42, of Tenants Harbor, on an outstanding arrest warrant.

Spear and Elwell responded to a report of trespassing in Warren. The suspects were located and issued summonses for same.

July 3

Sgt. John Palmer issued a summons to a resident of  Warren for animal cruelty and failure to provide medical attention to animal.

Spear responded to a report of an erratic vehicle in South Thomaston. The vehicle was later located in Camden and the operator was arrested for operating under the influence and operating after suspension.

Following a traffic stop in Friendship, Spear issued a summons for attaching false plates.

Polky and Elwell responded to a report of a domestic in Appleton. Subsequent to this response, Ryan Flannery, 30, of Appleton, was arrested on two charges of domestic violence assault.

Joslyn began an investigation of burglary in Appleton. This is still an active investigation.

Jack and Polky conducted a countywide operating under the influence detail. No arrests were made.

July 4

Spear conducted a countywide OUI detail. No arrests were made.

An arrest or summons does not constitute a finding of guilt. An individual charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at criminal proceedings.

Knox County Color Guard - Independence Day, 2015



Deputy Patrick Polky, Sergeant John Palmer, Deputy Jeremy Joslyn, and Deputy Nate Jack.

 

 

Knox County DARE Essay Contest 2015

DARE Officers, Knox County Sergeants John Palmer, Lance Mitchell, and Deputy Nate Jack wrapped up this year’s DARE classes. Students in each school wrote essays about what they learned in the program and a winner was chosen from each school. An over-all County winner and over-all County runner-up was chosen as well. The over-all winner received a $100 gift card and all the other winners received $25 gift cards, Darren Mascots, and Essay Award Medals.

Here is the essay submitted by Emily Mahoney in Warren, who won the contest at her own school, as well as the County-wide runner-up award:

 

 

What D.A.R.E Means To Me!

D.A.R.E has been around for 32 years teaching kids all around the world to be safe and make good decisions. I've always wanted to do D.A.R.E and this year I finally got to. I already knew I was never gong to smoke, do drugs or use tobacco, but D.A.R.E has taught me that as I get older it will be so easy to get roped into doing drugs, under age drinking or chewing tobacco.

 

I learned about risks which means taking a chance, and consequences which means what happens as a result of something you choose to do or not to do. It can be positive or negative. I learned about resistance which is the refusal to accept others' influence. I learned about the importance of communication and different types of communication. For example: being unsure, being demanding and being confident. I learned a lot more but a really important thing I learned is the D.A.R.E Decision Making Model.

 

D.A.R.E is an acronym for two things. One is the D.A.R.E Decision Making Model. The D.A.R.E Decision Making Model is for kids or adults who are in a situation where kids or adults try to use peer pressure to try to get them to use tobacco, smoke, do drugs or underage drinking. It is:

DEFINE

ASSESS

RESPOND

EVALUATE.

Define means to think what your situation is.

Assess means to think about your options.

Respond means to make a decision.

Evaluate means to review your decision to see if you made a good decision.

 

D.A.R.E has inspired me to make good decisions so I can pass on the information to other people so we can live in peaceful environment. I like D.A.R.E because people may plan on doing drugs or smoking when they're older, but if they have had D.A.R.E, it might change their minds. You should also try to avoid smoking and tobacco use because more than 400,000 americans die each year from tobacco use. Also, almost 50,000 deaths per year can be attributed to secondhand smoke. You're not only risking your life by smoking, but you're risking other people's lives by smoking too.

As I said in the beginning D.A.R.E has two acronyms. The first one is the D.A.R.E Decision Making Model. The next one is the one people are most familiar with. It is:

DRUG

ABUSE

RESISTANCE

EDUCATION.

It means that you have to learn to resist drug abuse. Because drugs are so bad, if you abuse them, it can cause severe illness and very bad health effects. That is why it is very important to not abuse drugs.

 

Bullying is another major thing that D.A.R.E talks about. Being a bystander is a very serious matter. Bystander means that you are a witness to bullying or a robbery or a car crash and you had a chance to do something but you didn't. Being a bystander basically encourages the bully to keep bullying. Yes, if you stand up for someone you might then get bullied, but think about this: would you rather move on with your life with guilt entering your mind or move on with your life knowing that even though you got bullied, you stood up for someone and did the right thing?

 

D.A.R.E is supposed to teach people how important it is to never ever abuse drugs. It is not all about drugs, tobacco, smoking or underage drinking, it also teaches people the importance of communication, stress, how to stand up to big bad bullies and a lot more. Also, if you want to get out of the peer pressure situations you can't ever be afraid to say "no" or use the D.A.R.E Decision Making Model. 

Some people think that doing drugs, chewing tobacco, smoking or drinking before you're 21 is just a walk in the park, but it's not. It might seem easy at first but as life goes on just when you least expect it everything will change forever. D.A.R.E means everything to me because it taught me so much and I am never going to forget the things Officer Palmer taught me. I will also never forget Jake. I am never going to forget how important it is to stay far away from drugs.

Knox County Sheriff's Log

The Knox County Sheriff's Office responded to 222 complaints from June 21 to 27.

 

June 21

 

Sgt. Lance Mitchell responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in Union involving a single vehicle striking a deer. Non-reportable damage sustained.

 

June 22

 

Deputy Nathaniel Jack responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in Cushing involving a single vehicle. Reportable damage sustained.

 

Jack began an investigation of theft in South Thomaston. The suspect was located, paid for the item taken and has been issued a trespass notice.

 

Following a traffic stop in St. George, Jack issued a summons for speed.

 

Deputy Pat Polky responded to a request for a well-being check on an adult female in Warren. The female was located and transported to Pen Bay Medical Center for an evaluation.

 

Polky and Deputy Justin Hills responded to a report of a domestic in Warren. This was deemed a verbal argument only and the parties were separated.

June 23

 

Polky responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in Cushing involving a single vehicle. Reportable damage sustained.

 

Deputy Arthur Smith conducted a radar detail in Appleton. No violations were noted.

 

Polky began an investigation of theft in South Thomaston. One suspect has been named.

 

Polky responded to assist Thomaston Police Officer Olaf Sigaud at the scene of a domestic in Thomaston. One arrest was made. This is a Thomaston Police case.

 

June 24

 

Jack arrested Melisa Paquin, 25, of South Thomaston on an outstanding arrest warrant. Subject was transported to the Knox County Jail without incident.

 

Following a traffic stop in Warren, Deputy Paul Spear arrested Emily Lawry, 37, of Gardiner, on a charge of operating under he influence.

 

June 25

 

Following a traffic stop in Owls Head, Deputy Paul Pinkham issued a summons for speed.

 

Following a traffic stop in Friendship, Jack issued a summons for failure to provide proof of insurance.

 

Pinkham responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident in Owls Head involving two vehicles. Reportable damage sustained.

 

Deputy Robert Potter conducted a radar detail on Vinalhaven. No violations were noted.

 

Jack began an investigation of theft in Cushing. One suspect was named.

 

Spear and Sgt. Matt Elwell responded to a report of an assault in Owls Head. Following this response, the suspect was located and issued a summons. The victim was issued summonses for violating condition of release, operating without a license and illegal transportation of liquor by a minor.

 

Elwell responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in Appleton involving a single vehicle striking a deer. Reportable damage sustained.

 

Deputy Jeremy Joslyn arrested Wesley Winchenbach, 37, of Waldoboro, on an outstanding arrest warrant.

 

June 26

 

Pinkham and Sgt. John Palmer responded to a report of a domestic in Friendship. This is still an active investigation with probable charges pending.

 

Deputy John Hansen arrested Daniel Butler, 31, of Putney, Vt., on an outstanding arrest warrant.

 

Potter conducted a radar detail on Vinalhaven. No violations were noted.

 

Jack and Elwell responded to a report of a disorderly male in St. George. The male was located and issued a warning for same.

 

Jack arrested Henry Dudley,  34, of Tenants Harbor, on an outstanding arrest warrant.

 

Polky conducted a county-wide OUI detail. No violations were noted.

 

Potter responded to a report of a domestic on Vinalhaven. This was deemed a verbal argument only and the parties were separated.

 

Hansen responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash on North Haven involving a single vehicle sustaining reportable damage. Following this response, Chayse MacDonald,18, of North Haven was arrested on charges of operating under the influence and driving to endanger.

 

June 27

Following a traffic stop in Warren, Palmer issued a summons for operating after suspension.

Spear arrested Cortney Sukeforth, 32, of Camden on an outstanding arrest warrant.

 

Polky responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in Union involving a single vehicle. This accident was deemed non-reportable, as it occurred on private property.
Hills conducted a county-wide OUI detail. One summons was issued for operating after suspension.

An arrest or summons does not constitute a finding of guilt. An individual charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at criminal proceedings.