Bangor, Maine News Update: April 20, 2018

One man is in the hospital and another behind bars after a shooting last night in Garland. The Penobscot County Sheriff’s office was called to a home on the Dexter Road just after 7:00 to a man with non-life threatening injuries. Investigators caught up to Abemelec Castanon in Medway and charged him with elevated aggravated assault.

State officials are warning Maine families about someone who is impersonating a Child Protective Services caseworker. So far, only one incident has been reported in Southern Maine, but officials advise everyone to be cautious and demand to see their state issued ID. Anyone who questions the authenticity of a caseworker, should call  the Maine office of Child and Family services at 1-800-452-1999.

A national health report this week indicates that opioid prescribing in the state of Maine has fallen over 13 percent in the last year, which is the sixth steepest drop in the nation. A strict prescribing law implemented last year in Maine  is the cause of the lower numbers, but has fallen under criticism from patients with chronic pain who have had to deal with sometimes less effective drugs.

A Bangor-based National Guard unit is being deployed to Afghanistan, where they will provide medical care to wounded and sick soldiers on the battlefield. The 126^th MEDEVAC Unit has been deployed many times over the past 10 years, to Germany, Kuwait, and Iraq. Governor LePage wished the group well yesterday at a sendoff ceremony.

The South Portland Police Department is encouraging Mainers to snap a picture of themselves with a police officer to support law enforcement, and post it on social media with the label, #selfiewithacop. The hope is to highlight the partnership shared between law enforcement and the community in the wake of the death of a Massachusetts police officer who was killed while trying to serve a warrant earlier this month.