In trove of officer misconduct records, Maine sheriffs hide the worst offenses

Today is Wednesday. Temperatures will be in the 40s from north to south, with a chance for isolated showers throughout the state. Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.

Here’s the latest on the coronavirus in Maine

Health officials reported 20 more coronavirus deaths and 227 new cases across the state Tuesday. There are now 2,398 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state, while the death toll now stands at 214. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information.

Maine has just turned the page on its darkest month yet in the coronavirus pandemic, in which a long-dreaded second wave of infections, hospitalizations and deaths finally washed over the state.

In trove of officer misconduct records, Maine sheriffs hide the worst offenses

Dana Kitchin died in a Kennebec County jail observation cell in 2014 from a ruptured spleen. Before he died, other inmates said they heard him screaming for medical attention for seven to eight hours. A man with mental and physical illnesses, Kitchin had smeared blood and feces on the window looking into his cell, which remained on the door for 14 hours, making it impossible to see inside.

Kennebec County disciplined three corrections officers who were on duty while Kitchin was yelling for help. But those records failed to mention Kitchin’s death. Anyone reading them would have no way to know that the discipline handed down to the three officers had anything to do with a man dying in his cell while begging for medical attention.

Early this year the Bangor Daily News requested all discipline records since 2015 from Maine’s sheriff’s offices and jails, and found that, in many instances, the records didn’t actually describe the misconduct in question. Incomplete records leave the public in the dark about what really happened, and raise questions about whether discipline is equitable across offices and violations — and whether elected sheriffs are holding their staff accountable.

PLUS: Use our searchable database of 5 years of punishments for county officers in Maine.

She got COVID-19, recovered, then died. She’s among the victims, but not in the official tally.

While the official COVID-19 death toll numbers more than a quarter million Americans, the pandemic’s true death toll is likely much higher than because the official count doesn’t include fatalities that are indirectly related to the virus. In October, federal researchers said as many as 100,000 fatalities could indirectly be attributed to the coronavirus.

Janet Mills quarantining after likely exposure to coronavirus

Gov. Janet Mills is currently not experiencing any symptoms.

Matt Dunlap wants to become state auditor. He’d have 9 months to get qualified.

With Democrats in control of the Legislature, Matt Dunlap is all but assured to become the next state auditor.

Dems choose Shenna Bellows for secretary of state, paving the way for first woman to hold job

Democrats picked state Sen. Shenna Bellows as their nominee for secretary of state Tuesday evening after a first-ever ranked-choice vote, all but assuring her ascension to the office and title as the first woman to hold the position when the full body elects the state’s constitutional officers Wednesday.

Canadian border won’t reopen until next spring at the earliest

Spanning more than 5,000 miles of land, the U.S.-Canada border encompasses many unique communities with their own sets of challenges for how to reopen. For Maine, many of its affected communities share a border with the province of New Brunswick, which is part of the “Atlantic Bubble” within Canada consisting of provinces located east of Quebec.

Rockland could temporarily ban demolitions to stop a downtown building from being turned into a parking lot

It comes as the owner of a downtown building has proposed tearing down a majority of the structure and paving the site for parking. The council previously considered a ban on commercial parking lots in the downtown area to stop the developer, but has since postponed that measure.

Hunting season is over for many, and the does wish you all a happy winter

These does are certainly curious, and have followed their noses to these two cameras to figure out what they’re doing strapped to those trees. John Holyoke prefers to think of these deer as giving all of us unsuccessful hunters a good ol’ Bronx cheer: “Better luck next time, Buddy!”

In other Maine news …

Mainers traveled less for Thanksgiving amid COVID-19, bad weather

Caribou was warmer than Orlando, Florida

Another mountain lion mystery piqued your interest

Matt Dunlap wants to become state auditor. He’d have 9 months to get qualified.

Maine ski resort visitors are using their cars as ‘mini ski lodges’

Once-dry Piscataquis River reaches flood stage in early week storm