Rep. Sean Flaherty has October court date

Police are waiting for blood test results for Rep. Sean Flaherty (D-Scarborough) who was charged with suspicion of driving while under the influence after he rolled his car in Freeport Aug. 8.

Maine State Trooper Doug Cropper said it may be next week before he learns the level of Flaherty’s blood alcohol level from a test taken at Cumberland County Jail in Portland.

Flaherty has directed questions about the accident to his attorney, Dan Warren. In a press release last Friday, Warren promised Flaherty will hold a press conference “as soon as our fact-finding is complete.”

Warren said he is conducting his own investigation of the accident. Flaherty was charged with suspicion of operating under the influence and released Aug. 8 on $60 cash bail.

Flaherty, a first-term legislator serving House District 127, faces an Oct. 27 court date in Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland, less than a week before the Nov. 2 election where he faces Republican candidate Amy Volk.

In response to the charge filed against her opponent, Volk said “I am running against his voting record, not his driving record.” She added she was glad he was not seriously hurt in the accident.

District 127 is comprised of the eastern section of Scarborough between the South Portland, Cape Elizabeth and Old Orchard Beach town lines.

Cropper responded to the accident at about 1:50 a.m. on I-295 in Freeport. He said he found Flaherty sitting on grass near his overturned 2007 Toyota Avalon. Flaherty’s face, arms and hands were bloodied, but he refused to be taken to a hospital. Cropper said he smelled alcohol as he questioned Flaherty about the accident and where he had been. 

Because Flaherty appeared shaken up from the accident, Cropper decided against administering a field sobriety test. Blood and dirt in Flaherty’s mouth prevented using a Breathalyzer, he said.

The charge against Flaherty also clouds his future as a Scarborough High School swim coach, Scarborough School Superintendent David Doyle said last week.

Flaherty, who was a swimmer when he attended the high school, would likely not be renominated as a coach by the Board of Education if convicted of the charge, he said.

Nomination papers due Sept. 1 for town seats

Nomination papers are available for seats on the Town Council, Board of Education, Sanitary District and Portland Water District. There are two, three-year seats on the Town Council, Board of Education and Sanitary District. There is also a one-year seat on the Town Council to fill a vacancy with a term to expire in 2011. The Portland Water District vacancy is to fill a vacancy with a term to expire in 2013.  Nomination papers are available for pickup during business hours in the Town Clerk’s Office and must be returned by close of business on Sept. 1. For more information, call 730-4020.

Man arrested after police find stolen scrap metal

Officers arrested a man on Haigis Parkway Sunday after they discovered the unsecured load in the bed of his pickup truck was stolen from a local business. 

Police pulled over Stephen Fairbanks, 53 of Westbrook after he allegedly ran a red light with a large quantity of scrap metal in the back of his vehicle.

Police said the materials were stolen from a business in the Scarborough Industrial Park.

Fairbanks is being held on charges of theft, possession of burglary tools and two counts of violating conditions of release. A passenger in the vehicle was released without charges.

Cumberland man held after home burglarized

A Cumberland man was arrested after he allegedly broke into a home on Old Blue Point Road last Friday.

Police said Anthony Van Horn, 48, was inside the Scarborough residence and fled on foot when the homeowner discovered him shortly before 3 p.m. 

Scarborough police later found Van Horn in the surrounding area of woods and took him into custody.

 He currently is being held on burglary and criminal mischief charges at Cumberland County Jail.

School starts 

Aug. 31 for students

As summer winds down, a new year begins for schools throughout Scarborough. 

Classes begin Aug. 31, but several recently hired teachers and faculty will be busy preparing classrooms and agendas long before students arrive.  

Among the new additions at the high school are: Nate Guerrin, who will teach several math and science courses; Michael Legage, the new athletic director; and Tim Walker, who will take over as director of guidance. At Blue Point School, Georgette Stone will teach a speech and language class. 

Superintendent David Doyle said a $150,000 cut to the fiscal year 2010-2011 budget has resulted in the loss of 28 staff members and has impacted programs in the foreign language, music and arts departments.

Classes begin Aug. 31 for kindergarten through second grade, sixth and ninth grades and Sept. 1 for all others. 

      – Compiled by Staff Writers David Harry and Dan Aceto.