TOWNSHIP 1 RANGE 10, Maine — A Pemadumcook Lake camp owner accused of chopping up his neighbor’s generator with an ax and tampering with the neighbor’s propane tanks was arrested Thursday evening.
Peter Smallidge, 75, of Mount Desert Island was charged with aggravated criminal mischief and burglary, according to Investigator Guy Dow of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department.
Smallidge posted $500 unsecured bail and was released the same night from Piscataquis County Jail in Dover-Foxcroft. He is expected to make his initial court appearance on July 26 in Dover-Foxcroft District Court.
Dow said Smallidge and Willard “Bill” Ware, who operates White House Landing Wilderness Camps on Pemadumcook Lake, have had a lingering dispute over a vehicle that was used in the remote area to reach the camps. Pemadumcook Lake is in Piscataquis County about 15 air miles from Millinocket.
Ware had several propane tanks on his property that were full when he left the state late last year. When he returned in May, he noticed the tank valves had been opened. He told police he believes he lost about 900 gallons of propane over the winter. Ware also discovered that someone had broken into a garage and had used an ax to chop up his generator. The ax was still embedded in the generator, according to Dow.
Before Ware left the state, he installed a camera on his property that allegedly captured Smallidge tampering with the propane tanks, Dow said. Smallidge was the only person seen on the film aside from Ware, he noted. Smallidge told Dow that he had gone over to visit Ware but had found no one home. While there, Smallidge said he smelled propane, discovered the valves were opened and had tried to close the valves, Dow stated.
Photos from Ware’s camera allegedly show Smallidge at the propane tanks on two different occasions about a half-hour apart, Dow said. In addition, Dow noted that Smallidge never reported to Ware or the police that he found propane leaking from the tanks.