OOB man who allegedly stole ATM is arrested, back in jail

The Old Orchard Beach man charged in the theft of an automated teller machine in Scarborough last November found himself behind bars again this week.

Brian Andrews, 32, faced a court date in Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland on Tuesday, after the Courier deadline.

According to Biddeford Deputy Police Chief JoAnne Fisk, Andrews was arrested on outstanding warrants issued in Cumberland County. Police logs show he was arrested at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 23 on King Street.

Police also found Andrews possessed a usable amount of marijuana, violating his conditions of release. When arrested, Fisk said Andrews tried to pose as his younger brother.

He was taken to York County Jail in Alfred and then transferred to Cumberland County Jail in Portland on Feb. 25, a York County Jail official said.

Cumberland County Jail officials confirmed Andrews has been held without bail since Feb. 25 because of the bail conditions violation.

Cumberland County District Attorney spokesman Tamara Getchell said the Tuesday court date may be a conference regarding the impending theft, burglary and other charges Andrews faces in connection to an alleged attempt to steal the ATM from Eight Corners Market on Mussey Road in Scarborough last November.

Andrews was indicted in January by a Cumberland County grand jury on charges he used a stolen pickup truck to drag the ATM from the store late at night on Nov. 29 before leading Scarborough police on a high speed chase down Gorham and Black Point roads.

Andrews also is charged with ramming a police cruiser at the start of the chase. He was arrested after he crashed the truck near the Prouts Neck Yacht Club in Scarborough.

Court records show officers followed footprints across a beach and discovered Andrews hiding behind rocks and in the water.

Andrews has a list of convictions on burglary, forgery, theft and assault charges dating to 2000, according to the same court records.

DOT says work on Route 112 should be completed in 2012

The Maine Department of Transportation is moving forward with plans to rebuild a section of Route 112 in Saco and Buxton.

Project Manager Ernie Martin said 65 residents attended a Feb. 25 public hearing in Saco about the project, which will repair about 3.5 miles of the state-maintained road. He said the project will cost up to $6 million in construction costs and should be completed by summer 2012.

Martin said the project, which likely will begin in spring 2011, will fix the road from Rocky Hill Road in Saco to the intersection of Routes 112 and 202 in Buxton. Construction crews will excavate the existing road before putting in 30 inches of gravel and 5 to 6 inches of pavement. They also will create consistent 5-foot, paved shoulders.

Martin said the current road was never built to standard and has gravel shoulders that vary in width. Project plans take into account the level of truck traffic and the road will be built to accommodate truck weights, he said.

At the public hearing, residents offered comments about the issues that concern them the most, including speed, truck traffic and road noise, Martin said. A final public hearing will take place in June in Buxton, after which the department will finalize construction plans, he said.

The project has been planned for several years but was deferred because of budget constraints, Martin said. The department will continue to patch problem areas until the project begins.

Developer abandons plan to build CVS on Elm Street

A New Hampshire developer has shelved plans to build a CVS on Elm Street in Saco.

City Planner Bob Hamblen said developer John Grammas notified him by e-mail last week that he was “closing down the project” as of Feb. 16. The planning board last month asked Grammas to provide historical information on houses that would have been demolished to make way for the drugstore.

Bill Kany, an attorney representing Grammas, said CVS decided to defer its decision regarding the location of the store. He said Grammas did not want to move forward with the plan without a tenant for the building.

Kany said he does not know if Grammas will look to build elsewhere in the city.

– Compiled by Staff Writers David Harry

 and Gillian Graham