Fire damages attic

Six South Portland fire companies responded to a call at 221 Evans St. April 1. The homeowner was away when a fire started in the attic and nobody was hurt. The call came in to the South Portland Fire Department at 7:11 p.m., according to Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Fox. The fire destroyed the attic and the first floor of the single-family home suffered extensive water damage. The estimated financial loss is $75,000 for the building and $30,000 for the home’s contents, Fox said.Investigators do not know the cause of the fire but, “It’s fair to say it was not intentionally set,” said Fox. Mutual aid was provided by Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth firefighters who covered the South Portland stations. After the fire was out, neighbors went inside the house and rescued a cat and dog, Fox said. (Rick Wright photo)

Drugs, guns found in home of South Portland man

Marquise Trant was charged with unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs, a Class C felony, after he was stopped March 31 on Gorham Road by South Portland police.

The 21-year old South Portland resident was transported to Cumberland County Jail by agents from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Trant is now free on $2,000 cash bail after appearing before a judge April 2. His next court date is June 23.

Responding to a request from the MDEA, South Portland police stopped Trant and waited for MDEA agents to arrive. 

“It was part of an MDEA investigation,” said Lt. Todd Bernard of the South Portland Police Department.

Evidence at the scene convinced MDEA agents to get a warrant to search Trant’s apartment on Broadway. Inside the apartment, agents seized 20 ounces of cocaine and two handguns. The street value of the cocaine is $24,000 according to a press release from by Steve McCausland of the Maine Public Safety Office.

Trant had no prior arrests in Cumberland County, according to the jail’s records division.

License plate bill moves through House and Senate

The House of Representatives and Senate last week approved a bill that regulates the use of automated license plate recognition systems.

The measure passed both chambers unanimously, according to legislative aide Mike Dunn.

It now awaits Gov. John Baldacci’s signature to become law. “I expect he will sign it,” Sen. Larry Bliss (D-South Portland, Cape Elizabeth) said in a written statement.

The governor has 10 days to accept or reject the bill.

The bill says the license plate system may use only information entered by a law enforcement officer based on a concern for safety, wrong doing, a criminal investigation, or an official published law enforcement bulletin.

The South Portland Police Department is the only agency in Maine using the technology. The system includes three cameras mounted atop one cruiser that can photograph license plates and compare them to plate numbers on an established “hot list” from local, state, and national databases.

Proponents support the use of this system because they say it increases public safety and police officer safety. Some opponents think it’s an invasion of privacy.

– Compiled by Staff Writer Rick Wright