BANGOR, Maine — The man charged Saturday with trying to set on fire a cruiser parked at the Bangor police station told investigators he had hoped to draw national attention to Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed MaineCare cuts by blowing up a police car.
Ian Bodger, 61, of Bangor used pieces of The New York Times and a bottle of paint thinner in an attempt to blow up a police car, according to the affidavit filed Monday at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
Bodger, who was charged with arson, made his first court appearance Monday at the Penobscot Judicial Center by videoconference from the Penobscot County Jail.
District Court Judge Jesse Gunther set Bodger’s bail at $50,000 cash. Conditions include that he not return to the Bangor police station.
LePage has proposed removing 65,000 adult Mainers from the MaineCare program to close an estimated $220 million shortfall in the Department of Health and Human Services budget over the next year and a half. It was not clear Monday how Bodger might be affected if the Legislature approves the proposed cuts.
Bodger’s attempt to blow up a police car was thwarted before much damage was done when Officer George Spencer saw Bodger kneeling behind a cruiser. Spencer grabbed the edge of the newspapers and pulled them from underneath the car, quickly extinguishing the fire, according to a press release issued Monday by Sgt. Paul Edwards, spokesman for the Bangor police.
As Spencer was escorting Bodger into the police station for further questioning, he saw flames shooting from the rear tire and called another officer to assist. Officers were able to move the car from the parking space and extinguish the last remnants of the fire, Edwards said in the press release.
Police took a white gallon jug labeled “paint thinner” from Bodger, the affidavit stated. They also found a small paper bag containing 40 to 50 books of matches inside a “Star Wars” backpack he had with him. In a second bag, police found a small black gym bag with newspapers.
If convicted of the Class A crime, Bodger faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.
He want have to worry about Mainecare now, we will all foot his healthcare bill without federal dollars.
Exactly!
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Desperate times bring desperate actions by desperate people.
A sane normal person going through desperate times would shovel raw sewage to feed their family. Not perform a felonious crime to get attention to their cause. A sane rational person would write letters to editors, news agency’s, senators etc.
When you live in a society run by insane leaders, the people will begin to display symptoms of insanity.
Is that your defense?
Naw, read my post above.The best defense is a good offense. If he’s going to jail for 30 years it’s too bad he didn’t make his point, because the man has a point. You don’t. TrueNative was just stating a fact.
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I hope I don’t live anywhere near you. Sounds like you’re ready to snap.
Fortunately my life couldn’t be better. I have worked very hard in my life (without any government assistance) to achieve what I have achieved and to have what I have now. I feel grateful every day for the life that I have as I realize every day that I am blessed. That realization causes me to have something called compassion. It causes me to feel empathy and concern for those in our society who have not been so fortunate.
You are the one that sounds like you are ready to snap. When one does not feel empathy and compassion, there is something wrong with them mentally and emotionally.
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Hey, you may be on to something here! I know I was going crazy before we smartened up and got Mr. LePage into office. Whew! That was close…
Time will tell about LePage.
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Yes, not his fault at all. NOT AT ALL.
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Oh, that makes it excusable, right?
Ian Bodger
For Governor 2014
Well he’ll get all his medications and room and board for free now. Sadly, at the taxpayers expense for up to 30 years. I bet it would have been a whole lot cheaper had someone given him some psychotropic medications last week. Come to think of it, it would probably be a whole lot cheaper to find a way to give poor citizens basic medical care than wait for them to show up for emergency rooms for expensive lifesaving treatments and long term recovery plans. You don’t even have to be a Jedi to figure out something this simple. So what’s wrong with our current political leadership?
Why should we continue to subisidize these folks. These folks aren’t worth waisting our tax dollars on. This proves what all of us have said that Maine is a Welfare Haven for everyone who wants to come in and mooch off of the Taxpayer’s. That is why I have said these programs and all subsidies that has been going to Liberal Special Interest and Ex Democrats Politicians should be eliminated. Maine and it’s taxpayers will be better off when this happens.
No, not really. We already know your motives and that you are single minded. You have specific goals and you will say anything it takes to anybody and everybody to achieve them.
Let’s play a little game, shall we? I’m going to take your hate speech post above and substitute your screen name for every person you deride in your post. Ready?
Why should you continue to subsidize GOP PAC prostitutes like Darkcat33? He’s not worth waisting your tax dollars on. Darkcat33 proves what all of us have said, that Maine is a haven for everyone who wants to come in and exploit the people and natural resources of the State of Maine leaving us with nothing to show for it and no future. These are the same guys that bought our mills and shut them down after busting the unions that caused them to thrive and drive up the standard of living in the surrounding communities. That is why I have said these corporate criminals and quazi-private/public political money laundering “think tanks” that don’t report their contributors need an enema. They think that just because they have this trumped up status saying they don’t have to report means that the data can’t all be subpoenad when we begin prosecuting them for their parts in Election Campaign Finance Fraud. They’ve used these front laundering entities to create an unfair advantage for GOP TeaPartiers and Right Wing Nutballs like Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul and literallly illegally win elections. The unfair funding for these Politicians and their secret meetings and “think tanks” should be eliminated. Maine and it’s taxpayers will be better off when this happens.
Dude, you’re comments are proof that bath salts, the Communist Manifesto, and Internet access should never be intermixed.
Oh, I see what you’re talking about. That was a typo. I’m going to edit it.
OK I’ve edited the post. Remember that my post is in response to another poster that keeps posting hateful things about the poor, etc. over a long period of time in this forum. The things I’m talking about are all real. You might not hear about it for 10 or 20 years, but there is no fiction in my post.
Yup; and the insects burrowing under your skin are real too. Only, the rest of us can’t see them…
Best post ever, man
Right, so using your thinking here we should what…not even send this poor man to prison? Then what shall we do with lawbreakers, simply kill them? One can only would hope you would have more compassion for your neighbors who become ill but have no means of receiving basic healthcare…but with you I’m beginning to have my doubts. I think I heard you at one of the Republican debates in the background shouting, “Just let em all die!” Yeah, that’s advanced thinking, NOT!
It’s what is happening in North Korea. Its food/resource distribution system doesn’t have enough in it to feed everyone. What little they have goes to the military and to the elites. Too bad for you if you get declared “surplus population” you are just going to have to die. If you complain about being hungry, they execute you and imprison your family.
If this current incarnation of the GOP had its way completely, this exact thing would be going on. It just wouldn’t be stated as plainly.
Rather than scapegoating the least among us, we should be grateful to live in a place where our poor CAN get fat and have satellite dishes on their trailers. We should also be thankful that this sort of system exists that should the unfortunate happen, we can take advantage of it. We should be especially thankful of all of this bounty considering the conditions that most poor people live in around the world.
Your post basically points out that the man is a pathetic loser and on that, we agree.
WOW! I never thought I see the day when entitled4life would finally agree with me about Paul LePage. See folks, there’s hope for these conservatives after all!
I know entitled, but you left that barn door wide open to swing back and hit your backside didn’t you?
I saw this guy at the Occupy encampment in Bangor this fall. Seriously,
Yeah, you gotta keep an eye on these peaceful protesters. Just because the right to assemble for peaceful protest is Guaranteed in the US Constitution and the United Nations Human Rights Declaration is no reason to start letting the posse system fall apart.
I think I saw him too, but he was in the Bangor Mall asking little children what they wanted for Christmas in his big chair.
Who cares about the U.N.?? I mean, seriously? They are utterly and completely discredited.
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We bring them here and train them on our urban population. We get kicked out of the United Nations. They’re trying one of our former presidents in the Hague and expect us to pay up (about You Go Slavia) if he loses. Do you need to taunt me? So we don’t belong to the UN. There are other charters we signed on to. The real issue is that these human rights created a way for all people to stay out of states of slavery, indentured servitude, debtors’ prison, and other burdens that are unbearable like being old, sick, etc. with inadequate means of support and without access to a dignified life. Why the heck would you scoff at that?
What were you doing there?
He was selling, propane, horse blankets, tarps, scanners, cellphone chargers, bath salts, crack, herb, coke, uppers, downers, Drano, special K, comfrey, Jamestown weed, Tylenol, Advil, cough syrup, Ben gay, charcoal, lighter fluid, dream catchers, do it yourself wills, mothers’ little helpers, and gorilla feces. Why do you ask?
Seriously lying…shame on you.
i am sure there are others like him waiting in the wings. two whammies ffirst not enough heat then mainecare
What???
Some people have a social conscience. Sometimes it’s the people you’d least expect it from. If we don’t all know by now that we should have asked all of our legislators to impeach or otherwise remove LePage something is horribly wrong. Here’s a guy you wouldn’t believe if he told you he’d just been mugged and doused with alcohol, but at least he’s doing something. If we got off our butts and did the right thing poor old sots like him wouldn’t do these things.
Here’s MY problem with YOUR social conscience: I am sick and tired of liberals dreaming up ways to spend money and then attempting to dragoon the rest of us into paying for their fantasies. From what I can see, liberal social engineering ideas are half-baked and usually unworkable because they ignore the realities of the human condition. You are never going to make everybody whole by confiscating resources from those who work and produce. It doesn’t work that way; it never did. If you want to try to change the world, then YOU dig deep and apply your money where you think it will help. Direct charity is far more efficient than alms distributed through a disinterested bureaucracy. What we have now is VAST bureaucracies of individuals, who are barely functioning themselves, ostensibly “helping to meet needs” of designated populations who are poorly defined and frequently lying about their eligibility for government aid. A huge fortune is required just to “administer” the “system”. Money which should be directed to those who truly need it. The prime reward for our present system seems to be that certain people can pat themselves on the back for being “compassionate”. Give your own money away and compliment yourself on your compassion. Right now, all we are doing is buying votes for those politicians who have learned to game the system from the top.
Amen Brother, Well Stated.
I’m always baffled by people that get into discussions about money that don’t know what money is. Right now the money is moving more slowly than it was in 2006. When it was moving more quickly we had a Bull economy. Does that make sense? Now we have a Bear economy that is starting to rebound. If you don’t know anything else about money do what I’m telling you now and you will be doing the right thing for everyone in the world. Keep that money flowing as fast as possible without foolishly losing utility or otherwise creating larger expenses for the future. Borrowing shouldn’t be in this mix with one glaring exception. Nobody should be paid interest on consumer credit higher than the rate of inflation, period, end of discussion. If you disagree, you are either an idgiot or a scoundrel. Anything beyond these conditions is usery and leads to foreclosures, hardships, and financial servitude.
You do know that you are not making a lot of sense here, don’t you? Mr. Obama tried that little trick of keeping the money moving, and it didn’t seem to accomplish very much. Well – the money disappeared, but aside from that, not much.
As it gets colder and 65,000 Mainers can no longer fill their mental health prescriptions we’re going to see a whole lot more of this desperate and in many cases bizarre behavior.
You wish!
Huh?
The New York Times – “All the News That’s Fit to Burn.”
Why didn’t he use the Bangor Daily? Not good enough for him?
I agree that starting fires is the highest and best use for a liberal rag like the NYT.
The libs will probably issue a fatwah against him for burning the Holy Book.
OK, I know what you mean, but I’m probably the only one reading your post that does. These turds still haven’t figured out that the TeaPartiers and their hooker GOPs have made deals with Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Pakistan, Iraq, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, and Soviet Russia to take all American resources, enslave all Americans they don’t kill in private prisons doing hard labor for infraction most everyone is guilty of one time or another. Well, just post back if you can’t get what I’m talking about. I’m tired of trying to tell people that Uncle Jambox doesn’t really just want to play nice in the sandbox with them.
Libs don’t issue “Fartwads”. Right wing extremists do. It is the equivalent of putting out a hit. Instead of hiring a particular hitman, whoever accomplishes the hit receives a predetermined award.
I’m going to lobby the State to buy me Nike sneakers, an maybe lobby them to buy some for everyone… Sneakers for EVERYONE for Free!!!! Hey maybe I run for office on the Free Sneakers for everyone Platform…
(Muskie)
I understand what you were going for here, but buying nikes is an act of treason. We should be buying them New Balances instead. Make sure they were made in Maine, not Canada like our current beloved governor.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think most of NB are made overseas.
Yes, but some are made here. We can buy those.
If they’re not blaming bath salts they’re blaming Gov. LePage……I’m not making the connection with blowing up a Bangor police cruiser having anything to do with Gov. LePage making much needed cuts in MaineCare Programs.
He needs health care for some reason, and is getting ready to loose it. Its cold out, no heating fuel. I am speculating that he was going to get the things he needs, and not have to hurt anyone physically to do it. Property damage. Perfect!
The cuts aren’t needed. LePage belongs to an elite bunch of international criminals who plan to do away with everything we in Maine have. They’re going to kill him once they have what they want from him. They’ll probably try to blame that on us. Lepage is a bit of a tard. He thinks these business people who got him elected are his buddies. They laundered money through criminal organizations such as the MHPC, AFPM, ALEC, and the Rent a Crook National Governor’s Association. But when they get done using him and others to cripple Maine’s executive, judicial, and legislative branches we’ll all be truly defenseless. How’d you get so numb anyway?
Remedial level: He didn’t blow up a police cruiser. He appeared to be attempting to blow up a police cruiser on purpose. It’s a subtle difference, but it is a real difference. If he’d wanted to blow up that cruiser he would have done so. It’s easy to do. He started a fire with a known accelerant. He brought evidence with him that was clearly laid out to create the appearance of the means of an attempted crime. Then he told the officers (who had to deal with this scary crap) his motive, to gain World News attention for LePage’s MaineCare cuts.
It’s not clear whether he wanted exposure in the World News section of the New York Times, although that is an obvious likelihood. Perhaps he wanted exposure in the World News which is in London and being prosecuted for hacking people’s cell phones illegally invading privacy.
{In a second bag, police found a small black gym bag with newspapers}
Obviously physically fit and well read,…… just not sleeping well lately.
This guy doesn’t look like he reads the New York Times….or anything else.
Should have spilled the rest of the paint thinner on him and let him try to relight the fire again.
You try to sound like that, don’t you? Self-immolation and protest by government property destruction when his peaceful demonstration was illegally ended would be cruel and unusual punishment and just wrong.
Mugshot = Cryptkeepers grandfather
Sounds like he’d make a good Democrat candidate for the Legislature. Or a faculty member in the UM system.
A straw in the wind?
yup……..yup……..yup…git ur done..we need more libs like him here in Maine. If we all chip in we can run an ad in all the big dailies through the States. Put a little extra in the pot for bath salts.
Can’t return to the Bangor Police Station? Wonder where they will take him if he gets arrested again?
Occupy Wall Street should stay out of the Bath Salts
Am I the only one that sees Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ in that mugshot?
What a fool….
What a nut. If you want to make a statement set yourself on fire. This loser is just an arsonist, coward and if he had not been caught he would have kept on setting fires. Lock him up until he dies,which looks like this weekend.
The poor man is and has always been mentally ill. Parents took care of him for years; they’re now dead. Have some pity.
One bizarre show after another -it’s a wonderful world isn’t it? What other species guarantees such a parade of dysfunction? Too many heavy metals passing up through the food chain perhaps?
Nice poster child for the anti-lepage gimmee gimmee crowd!
So from the looks of it, the Occupy folks have now decided to “occupy” some bath salts and then a police cruiser.
you can’t fix stupid
There was a time when responsible journalism meant you acted in the public interest. Too bad the BDN has forgotten that.
This guy wasn’t making any sort of political statement other than he is insane…
I say he was inflamed to act due to the poisonous discourse of the extreme left in this state toward the governor. Get it—“inflamed to act!” I still kill myself. But you get my point huh?
Yikes!!, send in the crazies! The penguin might want to hire a third state trooper for personal security.
After he got caught and of course this was the most important piece of information the BDN was interested in. Sometimes it appears the BDN wants to be a part in the downfall of our society.
….
Yet another angry troll who has most likely failed in life and needs someone or something to blame!
How does someone blowing up a police car have anything to do with mainecare cuts? I cant understand the mentality of some people..
Wow. This is exactly the type of person I want to be supporting with my tax dollars… NOT!