Sunday, January 27, 2013

Vehicle accident on Main Street in Jonesport


On 1-27-2013 at approximately 0604 hours the Washington County Regional Communications Center received a 911 call reporting a serious injury, 2 vehicle accident on Main Street in Jonesport. Mr. Peta Johnson (12-19-1960) from Beals was the callers, he was also one of the persons involved in the crash.

Sgt. Randy Perry from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. Units from the Moosabec Ambulance Service, Jonesport Fire Department, and Addison Fire Departments also responded to assist. The crash consisted of two vehicles, both having a single operator/occupant.

Mr. Johnson was transported to the Machias Hospital with minor injuries. Mr. Randy Thistlewood (11-13-1956) of Jonesport was pronounced deceased at the scene. He was later extricated from the vehicle using the “Jaws of Life” and taken to Bragdon Kelley Funeral Home.


Initial crash investigation by the Sheriff’s Office has determined the following information. Mr. Thistlewood was traveling east on Main Street operating a 1999 Chevy Malibu. Preliminary investigation also indicated that Mr. Thistlewood was traveling at a high rate of speed, well in excess of the posted 25 mph speed limit. Mr. Johnson was traveling west operating a 1994 Ford F-150. Mr. Thistslewood began to lose control of the vehicle and began to skid. Upon doing so his vehicle crossed the centerline sideswiping Mr. Johnson’s truck head on. As a result of the impact Mr. Thistlewood was killed.


Neither operator was wearing a seatbelt. Airbags were deployed on Mr. Thistlewood’s vehicle.

The accident remains under investigation.

For further questions or inquiries please contact Lt. Travis Willey at the Sheriff’s Office 207-255-8308 or via email at willeyt@wcsheriffsoffice.com.

Lt. Travis J. Willey
Washington County SO
83 Court Street
Machias, ME
207-255-4422

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

2012 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE CITIZENS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY


As all years do, 2012 brought its own set of challenges and rewards to the Sheriff’s Office. I continue to be proud of our employees who show their commitment to our agency through their flexibility and hard work. Our officers responded to a total of 4,106 calls for service in 2012 - an average of more than 11 calls per day. Not only are our deputies busy, but according to the Uniform Crime Reporting statistics, Washington County once again had the highest clearance rate of crimes reported and solved in the State of Maine. Our K-9 partners continue to be valuable assets to the department, with Stryker certified for a range of narcotics detection and Dev certified for tracking and trail.

Assessing strengths within our organization means recognizing our partners. Our agency has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with every law enforcement establishment in the county. This MOU allows us to increase our eligibility for grants and Homeland Security funding. One of the grants we received in 2012 allowed us to purchase a new records management system which will be implemented in 2013. This system will be used by all law enforcement agencies in the county. In addition to purchasing this software, training will be provided to ensure effective use of the new system.

While partnerships within the law enforcement community are essential, we are also grateful for our neighborhood alliances. Our relationship with The Next Step Domestic Violence Project has continued to be one of successful collaboration. In 2012, we received the first annual Community Partner Award from the Next Step for “…increasing the safety of victims and survivors of domestic violence and holding perpetrators accountable.” The Washington County’s Sheriff’s Office continues to review emergency response plans in schools. We also visit schools as requested to talk about subjects such as bullying. We performed more than ten such visits last year, in addition to attending and presenting at career fairs held at UMM and the Lee Pellon center.

Unfortunately, telephone and mail scams persist in our areas, with the elderly being the most vulnerable. Prescription drug thefts also remain a problem. Please keep prescription medications locked up or hidden in your homes. The Sheriff’s Office welcomes and encourages phone calls and questions about these issues and any others which may arise.

Thank you to the citizens of Washington County for their support of the Sheriff’s Office. We appreciate your confidence and trust.
Respectfully submitted,


Donald G. Smith, Sheriff

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

December 2012 Monthly Report.

12/13/12: Sgt. Troy Lyons resigined from the corrections division.

12/31/12: The civil process division handled 134 paper of civil process.

12/31/12: Average inmate count for the month of December was 42.


1000 ACCIDENT PD 40
1010 ACCIDENT PI 8
1100 AGENCY ASSIST 7
1200 ALARM RESIDENTIAL 8
1210 ALARM COMMERCIAL 7
1400 AMBULANCE CALL 4
1450 AMBULANCE TRANSFER 1
1500 ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER COMPLAINT 1
1600 ASSAULT 2
1800 BAIL CHECK 1
2000 BURGLARY RESIDENTIAL 1
2090 CHECK WELL BEING 5
2100 CIVIL ASSIST 14
2200 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF 7
2300 CRIMINAL THREATENING 2
2400 CRIMINAL TRESPASS 2
2450 REMOVE SUBJECT 1
2800 DOMESTIC DISPUTE 6
2900 DRUG RELATED 1
4500 PERSONS FIGHTING 3
4600 HARASSMENT 6
4800 INFORMATION 14
5200 JUVENILE 2
5900 MISSING PERSON 2
6000 MOTOR VEHICLE 20
6050 MOTORIST ASSIST 4
6100 911 HANG UPS 32
6200 NOISE COMPLAINT 1
6500 PAGING SERVICE 1
6600 PAPER SERVICE 4
6610 PROTECTION ORDER 3
6830 VIOLATION P.O. 2
6900 PROPERTY FOUND 1
6930 PROPERTY CHECK 2
7000 SHOTS FIRED 1
7300 SUICIDAL SUBJECT 3
7400 SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY 9
7600 THEFT 14
7700 WARRANT ARREST 1
7900 PUBLIC ASSIST 1
8000 K-9 Training 1
8010 K-9 Utilization 2
DETAIL DETAIL (All) 3
SUBJSTOP SUBJECT STOP 2
UNK UNKNOWN 2
VEHSTOP VEHICLE STOP 32

Grand Total for all calls 286