So now the death of a man comes down to how costly it is for the taxpayers of Lincoln. Wake up Lincoln-if something isn't done about this problem you are only going to have more and bigger problems than * money* in the future. I am so shocked at how passive the town is about this issue. I was at the *memorial* for Mr. Isdell and was shocked to see just how little the town cares about this issue. Not a town representitive....a police representitive...no one from the *core* of the town was there......PATHETIC! This article is stating that the future of your children...the safety you all should feel, comes down to money. COME ON LINCOLN-TAKE BACK YOUR TOWN!

Kids have to loiter somewhere. It might as well be in town where the police can keep an eye on them.

Children do immulate their parents. I disagree freedomfighter, that kids need to loiter in public, the parents should be keeping an eye on their kids, find them something to do.....at home.

"the teens said they promised to help Isdell buy marijuana" well I hope they were made to give the info on their dealer!

Kids do not have to loiter anywhere! The PARENTS need to keep an eye on them NOT the police! Why is it parents are allowing these kids to hang out on Main St all hours of the day and night doing drugs etc? Maybe the parents should get the ticket for their children loitering...after a couple tickets maybe they will be more responsible parents!

When are you people going to get it thru your heads, the so call "kids" are young adults 18-21year old. They can't get alcohol legally so they drink and raise hell in our parking lots (down town or at the beach), And the cops over look this many nights just don't want to deal with them even thou it thier job to move them on . The other night at 1:30(Fri 28th of Aug) in the morning out there playing baseball towards the Wellness Center. It sad that a few makes the town unsafe. I have lived in Lincoln all my life and now I don't think I would go out for a evening walk, which I have done in the past on cool summer evening.

I agree.. the way the kids are is the way they are brought up. It don't look good for the parents. Here is $20. go have fun and get out of my hair. Now days it is $50.- $100. Does these young adult have jobs? If they had jobs they wouldn't be out on the street at all hours.

On 8/31/09 at 6:22 AM, freedomfighter wrote: "Kids have to loiter somewhere. It might as well be in town where the police can keep an eye on them".

The town officials and police have worked under that theory for years and it doesn't work. Ask the Isdell family what they think of Lincoln's current 'policy'! These ARE NOT young kids. These are 18-30+ year olds who (mostly) don't have jobs, don't have a future, and just hang around til the wee hours of the morning drinking, doing dope, and disturbing the peace. Abd this isn't just a summer thing either - it's year round. Lincoln needs to find a new "law and order" police chief who's willing to make a few waves with these young adults' parents by summonsing them for disturbing the peace, trespassing, loitering or just plain moving them out of there. And then when they congregate somewhere else, move them out of there. Sooner or later they'll get tired of being "hassled by the man" and will stay home where they belong at 3:00 a.m. The past and current town council members are just as guilty as the past police chiefs in not being proactive in solving this problem despite complaints from the residents.

I don't know the answer to this dilema. 20 some odd years ago, we did the same thing~as young people, we congregated in the local parking lots. However, after a certain time we had to leave. The same thing goes on today. I'm not from Lincoln~about 2 hours north~but it was more a 'social' gathering and meeting place than anything. Not all those young people are up to 'no good'. Yes, if they send them on their way after a certain time, they will find another place to congregate. But if anything, at another place, they may be more of a danger to themselves than innocent citizens and passers-by! As a girlfriend of a northern Maine trucker, I was horrified at what transpired that night to that man. I'm always worried about him resting or napping in a 'parking lot'. There is not always a truck stop handy for him to pull in to. Or he may be tired or out of hours and HAS to stop. And yes, it may be naive to think horrible things only happen elsewhere, but overall we have it good here. The old saying, one bad apple is so very true. I only know that my deepest condolences go out to the entire Isdell family. He was just an honest man, trying to make an honest living, to provide for his family. No different than the rest of us. (or most of us!) It's so sad he died alone, so far from his home. ;-( By the way, I was very disappointed that I did not see any info regarding the 'rememberance' that was held the day of his funeral. OR any follow up afterwards. I wanted to be there myself, but didn't want to make the 2 hour trip if it wasn't going to happen. I know there would have been good representation from 'the county' had we only known for sure. If what nwoods says is true, that not one representative from the 'town' was there, how sad for the town of Lincoln!!!!! Sorry all for rambling on, this issue just hits a little too close to home for me. God bless and have a good day.

there will be nothing done they are only saying this cuz of the poor man that died give it a month and the kids will be back out doing as they want we need cops who ain't afraid of these kids and there parents, stand your grounds with them and show them you mean business and they will get the picture enough is enough and true the cops shouldn't have to babysit if they won't listen handcuff them and toss them into the babysitter for the night call a CELL.

As police are having to assume parenting responsibilities over some teens, maybe it makes sense to have them in one place where they can be somewhat monitored, rather than out doing B & E's, etc. Ideally, there would be constructive opportunities for the kids and young adults, but either there aren't, or the kids aren't interested.

The horses have all left the barn. Quick, close the door!

This is completely a parenting problem. Go ahead and fine the parents but irregardless it is the current mentality of being able to blame someone else. While the kids are in school it's easy enough for parents to blame the teachers for the actions of the kids; not that the kids have somehow graduated it's a societal problem that the kids(young adults)are acting out as they have nothing to do. These are just excuses we allow people to make.

I hope interim Police Chief Phil Dawson is better at this than he is as a fire chief in Howland (and Lincoln)and putting fires out.

Hello, just a few concern of where is the tax dollars going ? ? ? ? ? ? ? AS IF THESE TWO KIDS ARE NOT SOME KIN TO THE TOWN OFFICIAL AND/OR POLICE OFFICIAL AS TO COVER TO WHO'S NAME, 'N' HOW MANY PARENTS DOES THESE KID HAVE IF NOT A SINGLE PARENT TO RAISE THE KIDS, TO WHO CORRECT THE KIDS IF THE PARENT DO NOT DO IT ? ? ? ? ? ? ? VIDEO CAMERA IS FOR WHO, AS TO WHO PAID FOR THE TROUBLE OF NEGLECT IS A INTEREST QUESTION. AN THANK YOU

Are you kidding? Anyone who works for the Town of Lincoln would not have been permitted to go to that memorial....Trust me. And if they went on their own tile, like lunch, and it got back to the administration, they would be disciplined severely or lose their job!!! If you are not a Goodwin supporter, you had better let it not be known..... Now Giberson is a hero helping to solve the problem.... Two months ago he was ago he was on the potential hit list for inappropriate behavior and worse!

One sometimes wonders if people read the stories published by the BDN...making accusations that the names of the "two kids" are not being released because they might be related to a town or police official?

I might point you to an article published in the 8/24 BDN "Lincoln teens detail fight" where Justin Pete and Steve Osnoe in the article. Granted former Police Chief Bill Flagg will not confirm the identities of the two "people of interest" but it seems fairly certain they are the based if you read further into the article.

Also, while the may be 18 and 19 years old, they are far from being "kids".

Lincoln needs to STEP UP. Phil Dawson taking over may not be the answer from his town council meetings quotes in the BDN.

The parking lot has had ongoing issues for years now. These delinquent teenagers have now turned into troublesome adults.

What is this world coming to when we set back and play politics when a man's life has been taken? Maine people should be demanding justice in Lincoln...NO LOITERING from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Ticket violators , increasing with each violation ....jail time after three. Start a fund for Brian Isdell's sons

seeing he lost his life in Lincoln. Cameras will only work if they are functional and the police uphold what is recorded but why wait for a recording to tell you what your town councilors alreday know and said in their meeting " CRIMINAL ACTIVITY ". TARGET LOITERING AND DO IT STARTING TODAY>>>> the grapevine works and the parking lot " individuals" ...many are back...no respect but why respect something that doesn't command respect???

Aside from the loiterers that are 18 or over, just what do you think the parents of the 15-17 year olds can do? They are legally powerless. If you doubt that, call DHS and some local police departments and ask them what you could do as a parent. The answer is not much. If you have a runaway 15 YO, you can have the police bring them home, but you cannot restrain them to keep them there. DHS/Child Protective refuses to deal with anything from 15 years old up. Parents are legally powerless nowadays unless you can find some reason to involuntarily commit a child to a mental health facility.

As mentioned, curfews are tough to impossible to enforce and rarely prosecuted by the DA. Loitering/cruising regulations can work, but only if you have a police force the size of Bangor to put officers at all the hangout areas at the same time. Lincoln is just too physically large and remote to do that with their existing force.

Oppss Mrs. Goodwin...your town councilors already stated that " criminal activity" has been taking place and the lots STILL OCCUPIED AT NIGHT so why would 5200 residents call in more of the same when it has not been resoundingly addressed???? Faith iand trust s earned , sems like Lincoln has lost some of its. A people's watch can only be as effective as the enforcement behind it and the town that employees the enforcement behind them. 18 and 19 are adults so do not come back with aprent remarks , although some parents need to haul their butts out of bed and see where little johnny or suzie are at 1-2-3-4 a.m. if they are minors!

DOES MIAMIJOHN17 HURT THE ONE NOT RESPONSIBLE OF THEIR CHILDREN AS THE SELECTMAN AND/OR COUNCIL PERSON IS AS TO HOW MANY CHIEF WITH THE WILD BUNCH ARE THERE TO LET THE KIDS TO BECOME MORE CRIMINAL OF KILLING AND ROBBERY AND ETC. OF TO SHOW NO RESPECT TO RAISE THE KIDS THE RIGHT WAY TO BEGIN WITH ? ? ? ? ? ? ? AS DOES THE TRUTH HURT AS THE CHIEF OF POLICE TO HOW MANY WANT THAT JOB AS THE COUNCILMAN RULES THE ROLE OF THE CHIEF JOB TO SERVE AND TO PROTECT WHAT WITHOUT CARRYING OUT THE JOB REQUIREMENT.

some post are just so very difficult to read.

When I was a kid there was rock salt and shotguns. Didn't hang around for long !

All I can say is that if this happened to a father, son, brother, uncle or grandfather of a town official, town police officer, district attorney, judge and so on, you can bet that something would be done with the teenager/adult trouble makers on the streets, in the parking lots or at the beach. It can happen be taken care of but we are considered nobody's I guess so it is overlooked. SAD : (

miamijohn17 - huh?

Sept. 11 and still no word of any charges on these two young adults. Looks like once again we need to apologize to Mr Isdell's family. Maine officials...you should be very ashamed.

nwoods is right! I was surprised also, by the comment that "it costs too much to have police..." do their job??? How much was the cost of the poor man's life? or his family? This is pathetic. We, the tax payers want a decent town..with police able and willing to go to work knowing they have the support and caring from their own people they are trying to protect.

What happened to the neighborhood watch program here??

September28th....Anyone read about whether or not our fins state's criminal law system has determined if the two individuals involved in Brian Isdell's final hours before his death are accountable for any part of it there of ???? Hmmmm... let's all be quiet and everything will go away...accept nothing and be nothing!

only we arent goin away...you can bet on that!

Amen lilsis!!!