South Berwick police chief found guilty of illegal deer baiting

By Judy Harrison
BDN Staff

DOVER-FOXCROFT — A Piscataquis County jury last week found a York County police chief guilty of one count each of illegal deer baiting and hunting over bait on Oct. 31, 2015, in Brownville, according to the district attorney’s office.

Dana Lajoie, the police chief in South Berwick, also was found guilty of the civil violation of not wearing hunter orange, Piscataquis County District Attorney Christopher Almy said in an email.

Calls to Lajoie for comment were referred to Town Manager Perry Ellsworth. Ellsworth said he planned to meet with the chief. “I will treat this matter the same way I would with any other employee [in these circumstances],” he said. “I’m not sure there will be discipline but I will review the facts.”

District Court Judge Kevin Stitham ordered Lajoie, who represented himself at the trial, to pay $900 in fines — $400 on each of the Class E illegal baiting convictions and $100 for not wearing hunter orange, Almy said.

The jury of nine men and three women deliberated for less than an hour before finding Lajoie guilty on the baiting charges, according to the district attorney’s office. Stitham determined the police chief had not been wearing hunter orange.

“I give the game wardens Paul Mason and Jeremy Kemp credit for being thorough and following through on the case,” Almy said. “They knew he was a police officer. They treated him just like anyone else. He is not entitled to skirt the fish and game laws.”

The wardens were on patrol during legal hunting hours and found Lajoie in a tree stand with a hunting rifle, the district attorney’s office said. There were apples on the ground in front of the stand.

Lajoie faced up to six months in jail and fines of up to $1,000 on the baiting charges.