Mark Cardilli Case / The Churchhill Connections

After a bench trial with Justice Nancy Mills (the governor's sister) Mark Cardilli was sentenced to 7.5 years for shooting and killing his sister's boyfriend. However, was it self defense? After a post-conviction review, including testimony from experts on self-defense experts, Superior Court Justice John O'Neil ordered a new trial for Cardilli, saying he didn't have effective counsel.

However, the State of Maine appealed that decision to the Maine Supreme Court, which vacated the judgement! You might recognize the name of one of Cardilli's attorneys: Sarah Churchhill. She was later appointed to be a judge, and realeased a dangerous man on $1500 bail. He ended up in a stand off in Auburn on Father's Day weekend and was shot and killed. Two homes were burned and inside one, a body was found. 

Governor Mills didn't agree with Churchhill's release of Leein Hinckley, or maybe just thought his bail shouldn't have been lowered to something he could afford. From this Sun Journal story:

“In my view, given the severity of the charges, the defendant’s criminal history and the serious danger he posed, these important, competing interests were not properly balanced in this case,” Mills wrote.

One competing interest which should not exist: the accused's ability to post cash bail. The governor said the judge could've appointed an attorney to Leein Hinkley. Doesn't Governor Mills know there's a lack of attorney's in Maine? 

I mean the ACLU filed a lawsuit 2.5 years ago against the MCILS (Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services), which the attorney general was later added to. And just a few weeks ago, the entire government of the State of Maine was made a defendant. You can read about Robbins v. MCILS here.  

The name of the Commission has been changed to MCPDS, (Maine Commission on Public Defense Services). Oh geez, I just looked at the list of the Commssion members, and former members...one of them was Sarah Churchhill. 

Aroostook County man seeks new trial - blames attorneys

I wish the news was about Shane, but it's not. James Paul Peaslee was convicted of murdering his stepfather in Bridgewater in 2018. In small towns, judges and those who make decisions which greatly impact people's lives, are bound to have ties to people who appear in their courts. That doesn't mean they won't rule fairly.

From a story at The County

As his testimony moved on, Peaslee said that on the first day of his murder trial, the presiding judge, Justice Harold Stewart II, said that he was related to a key witness for the prosecution. 

Will the conflict of interest and carelessness of his lawyers get Peaslee a new trial? If there's enough evidence to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, should he get a new trial? In Texas, a man's lawyer slept during parts of the murder trial! 

There was conflict of interest in my case against former Sporting Club Restaurant owners Deb and Ken Martin...also presided over by Justice Harold Stewart II. You can use keywords in the search bar to locate the old blog posts that explains why I filed the lawsuit.

The conflict was this: before Stewart presided over my case, he practiced law in Presque Isle, and so did the defendants' lawyer, Norman Trask. In a letter, Trask recommended Stewart and another attorney to me for mediation; however, because the Maine Human Rights Commission had already reviewed my complaint, I wasn't required to mediate. And, because the defendants showed no interest in settling the matter, I chose not to.   

I filed the complaint in Superior Court of Aroostook County in 2013 after the Maine Human Rights Commission investigated and found No Reasonable Grounds (NRG) to believe that discrimination had occurred. They dismiss 95% of complaints they get. Just click on any pdf file of the meeting minutes at their website and scroll down to the end. You'll see that nearly almost all cases end in NRG...that is in favor of the respondent. 

Anyway, Justice Hunter had presided over the case, but Stewart became a judge and took it when Justice Hunter retired in 2016. As the deadline to file my request for discovery approached, I was anxious because I had no lawyer and no idea how to do it. Then, the defendants' lawyer sent me discovery requests, which I answered and used as a guide to write mine. 

To prove that I received less of the pooled tips than other workers, I needed the paystubs of the co-workers who worked the same shifts I did. I requested that, but defendants failed to provide it. I immediately filed a request for a hearing on the discovery dispute. Then Stewart dismissed my complaint, citing an incorrect deadline for filing the complaint; this was something which Judge Hunter had already addressed in my favor! Stewart then called my request for the hearing "moot." 

 

Selectboard Meeting 8/21/24 at 3:30 pm - I'll tell about the wrongful arrests

Being held at the town office in Saint Agatha, Maine.

I only got confirmation, the agenda, and the zoom link last night. 

Click here to be taken directly to the Zoom meeting. Or copy and past link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88323736707?pwd=kxoZQssuQMyYKoKbLSPmFhpukkvdso.1#success

Period of Public Participation

Call to Order 

Consent Agenda

Article 1: To consider the meeting minutes of 7/17/24

Article 2: To consider the general ledger report, revenue report, and expense summaries of the period ending 7/31/24

New Business

Article 3: To discuss Mrs. Michaud’s concerns

Article 4: To discuss future dumping sites

Old Business

Article 5: Update on the K of C repairs

Article 6: Update on road work

Other Business

Adjourn

townmanager@stagatha.com	Aug 20, 2024, 4:47 PM (21 hours ago)
to Megan, me

Here you go! Paula was well aware of the date of the meeting. I told her weeks ago when it was. 

 

I can either call her and put her on speaker phone, or we can Zoom. I would prefer Zoom; please see the attached link.

 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88323736707?pwd=kxoZQssuQMyYKoKbLSPmFhpukkvdso.1

 

Michelle Bernier,

Town Manager

Co-defendants acquitted in June 2024 - one dies, other is missing

Bill Gates is not dead... Mike Lynch might be, he's missing after his yacht sank. And two days later, his co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain, was hit by a vehicle while running and died. According to this story:

"He and Lynch were both facing up to two decades behind bars if they were convicted of numerous fraud charges linked to the sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11billion (£8.64billion) back in 2011."

Quoting from the story they were "accused of scheming to inflate the company's value before it was sold"... like what Donald Trump did and got convicted of in New York. Lynch and Chamberlain were acquitted by a San Francisco jury in June of 2024. The story also said this:

"The businessman, who was facing up to two decades behind bars if convicted, said he was 'elated' after being cleared of the charges, but told the BBC he only managed it because of his staggering wealth."

Man arrested in Auburn for assaulting teen, robbery, drugs - released!

Read the story here! 

He was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail with his bail set at $10,000. “Jolicoeur posted bail and has since been released from jail,” said police.

 I just added a tab regarding bail reform.

 

Fire Chief gets off easy on three felony charges

From the story Former Maine Fire Chief pleads to reduced charges in fraud case: 

He had been charged with forgery, theft, and aggravated criminal invasion of computer privacy, all of which are felonies. But those charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement he reached with the Hancock County District Attorney’s Office.

The town of Gouldsboro didn't fire him, he resigned and was hired by the town of Winter Harbor last fall, but was soon fired when they learned of the charges. I'm not surprised that Tatum McLean got no jail time. The plea was accepted by Justice Harold (Hal) Stewart II. 

Stewart, in 2016 dismissed a case I had in Caribou Superior Court; use my search bar to read more. I had been denied an equal share of pooled tips when I was a waitress at Long Lake Sporting Club for a short time; and, as well I wasn't paid for a few hours I worked simply because nobody had come to eat that night...also clearly illegal. The Maine Human Rights Commission failed me as well as the Superior Court. 

11-10-23 Interview with Maine Commissioner of Prisons Randall Liberty

Patrisha McLean interviews the Maine Commissioner of Prisons, Randall Liberty.   

At 34:30 he says bail shouldn't be based on someone's wealth, but on the threat level.

The address for Shane in case anyone wants to write him:

Shane Michaud # 72847
807 Cushing Road, 
Warren, Maine 04864-4600

You can deposit funds for commissary. You need an inmate's MDOC # and date of birth in order to send it. 

Shane's info is MDOC #72847 and D.O.B. 9-24-88. 

There are certain rules to follow if you write, like no colored paper. Only blue or black ink, etc... click here for the rules first.  

The rules for visiting are there too. Shane calls me about once a week. He gets a free 5 minute phone call. Why they don't allow prisoners more phone time is... well it's criminal! Hearing from family and friends is important to rehabilitation and to prisoners' morale.

The Morning after...Officer Brian Collamore

In the photo in my last post, you see my grandson's mother about to call police.  My grandson is in the photo too, but you can only see his sneakers. After our interaction - which you can read about in that post - I received a phone call from Officer Brian Collamore: but Pete and I were in jail, visiting Shane, so he left me a voice message. I didn't return the call that day, and on Sunday morning I was visited by a Lewiston police officer who told me that I needed to call Waldoboro police. 

I called, we spoke, and he asked me what the heck happened Saturday. He accused me of harrassing Andrea, and said he was fed up. Collamore said he couldn't officially ban me from Waldoboro but that I had no business being there. It's Andrea's false claims that he should be fed up with. You see after a PFA - wrongly granted by Judge Geoffrey Rushlau -  expired she attempted to get another, but Judge Brent Davis denied it. Pete had come with me to court, and as we drove home, I called the school to find out if there were any upcoming activities I could attend. I mentioned that I was being kept away from my grandchildren by their mother. I requested to speak with Beth, school counselor, but was told she was busy and would return my call. She never returned my call, and the conversation resulted in a phone call to police or to Andrea who then called police. 

Officer Collamore is listed here, as a patrolman for Waldoboro Police Department. He was awfully rude to me. I recognize the name of a reserve officer listed there as well, Justin Hills. I found paperwork in Shane's room shortly after he was arrested for shooting Justin Steggall. He had just been served by Justin Hills, with a violation of the protection order which Andrea had succeeded in adding the children to; she won by default when Shane failed to appear. So when he texted Andrea about something other than arranging visits with the children, she called police. Months earlier she was ignoring both of us; and I had urged Shane to write to the court and ask for there to be designated days he could have the children...but he hadn't done that. Justin Hills is also the Shellfish Warden. Hmmm, Andrea's new boyfriend and father of her youngest son is a lobsterman. Does Hills know him, how well?