HOWLAND, Maine — A Freeport man who arrived late Saturday night with a carload of friends at Chickenfest — a party hosted every spring by University of Maine students at different, secret locations — is now missing, Maine State Police Trooper Thomas Fiske said Monday.
“He arrived with a group of folks. There was a lot of people there and they lost track of him during the night and never saw him again,” the trooper said. “Nobody has seen or heard from him since.”
Freeport police issued an attempt-to-locate notice for Dean Levasseur, 24, who is described as 5 feet, 6 inches tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. He weighs approximately 145 pounds and last was seen wearing a green jacket and bluejeans, Fiske said.
“Anybody who heard from this guy or saw him since Sunday, we’d be interested in speaking to,” the trooper said, adding that those with information can call the Orono State Police barracks at 866-2121.
Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department officers found the annual secret drinking party off Lagrange Road on Saturday and called state police for assistance. Sheriff’s deputies covered the area until 4 a.m., when state police took over coverage, Fiske said.
“Chickenfest started on the UMO campus years ago until it was banned,” the Maine State Police website said, referring to the University of Maine. “It then moved off-campus and is usually held in a different area of northern Penobscot County, so law enforcement can’t find the location, (although we do every year).”
Fiske described Chickenfest as a mini-Woodstock for college-age people.
“They had bands out there playing. It’s just a big party,” he said. “There [were] cars from all over — New York, Canada.”
In recent years, Chickenfest has been held in LaGrange, Argyle and just outside Greenfield, Fiske said.
Fiske, Penobscot County Deputy Chief Troy Morton and five others from Penobscot County were at Chickenfest on Saturday night trying to stop the influx of students heading into the party, which was located on private land owned by a logging company.
Morton, who after leaving the party scene got into a crash with a moose that sent the deputy chief to the hospital with a concussion, charged at least one person with underage drinking, Fiske said. The total number of people charged by Penobscot County sheriff’s deputies was not available on Monday.
“There were probably several hundred folks already there [by the time police arrived],” the trooper said. “We did the best we could from that point” stopping cars heading down the property’s dirt driveway.
To get around the law, attendees “ended up parking elsewhere and hiking through the woods to get there,” Fiske said.
The college-age attendees brought beer, wine and alcohol and left a pile of litter in the woods in their wake, the trooper said, noting that Sunday was Earth Day.
“It seems like everything they carried in got left behind — tents, tarps, broken glass,” Fiske said.
After Chickenfest ended, state police learned from Freeport police that Levasseur was missing.
The Maine Warden Service was first tasked with searching for the missing man and state police assisted by providing a search dog, Fiske said.
“When the weather clears and if he is still not located, the plane will be used as well,” the trooper said.
no picture of him??
There is one now. Perhaps it took awhile for his family to get one to the police.
There is a DMV picture of him with this story.
The pic only just went up. When I read this story about 20 minutes ago, there wasn’t one.
I intended to make the comment about the pic a reply to pavint46. I obviously wasn’t successful. Oopsie! :o)
very concerning for his health cold wet, ETOH, high risk, hope an all out search is mounted as soon as they found out.
Hope he’s found very quickly!
Holy, I hope they find him. It’s freezing with this rain. Hope he’s safe. We went to what County folks call “Pit Parties” for years. No one ever went missing thankfully.
We did get chased by the staties and constabulary on more than one occasion too…
Ya know, if the cops hadn’t chased them out, the kids might have actually carried out what they carried in. That’s what we did when we had pit parties up there.
Hope we hear good news soon …that he is found safe.
The way I understand the history, Chickenfest never was held on campus. It started as an alternative to Bumstock and has always been held off campus, for over 25 years.
Hopefully he is safe, thank you to everyone who is searching
mainefirstlight, you are correct. Bumstock used to be the party and was held in the field below campus, but then with the crack-down on parties on campus (and the raising drinking age), they moved Bumstock up into a fenced area, first behind the library, then out by what is now the recreation center or tennis bubble. Those were NOT so popular, so we took to the woods and became Chickenfest. I think I may have been at the very first one, or one of the first. We spent a lot of time getting ready, which involved generators and planning for power, and we had a flatbed for the bands. I remember an old airstrip that we parked on. Most everybody stayed over and we cleaned up the next day. You would have been hard pressed to find anything trashed. I think we went back to the same area the years I was there.
We never had to worry about the police chasing us off into the woods. They might be out cruising to make sure no one was drinking and driving, but that was it. I would hate to think of getting lost in the woods in that area. I hope this young man is found safe and sound. It’s been pretty rough weather out there.
I was there too. old airfield was off the county road in old town if i remember right.
By the history I have been told, ’83 was the first year and it was in Bradley. That means this year was the 30th ‘Fest.
And the 5 years I was involved we always cleaned up all our trash the next day, carry in carry out.
Karma: stupid cops with nothing better to do harass college students and end up crashing into moose.
Let’s pay attention to real crimes fellas. Perhaps these parties wouldn’t be held in unsafe locations if you wouldn’t chase them out of sight.
Yeah, if the cops wouldn’t have intervened, maybe more smart kids would be lost.
No actually if the cops didn’t intervene then the kids wouldn’t have had to separate, scatter, run off into the woods, l0se track of each other…in fact the cops made this a more dangerous situation.
Under-age drinking is just an extension of already abusive behavior in young adults….. there were actual calls and complaints. The land-owner could have been sued, and could still be. These people had no business throwing a secret party on privately owned land. These types of events need to be sanctioned in the name of public safety……impossible, due to a lack of organizational skills of those who get ‘passed the torch’ to get the party started. I’m willing to bet that the cop-haters in this case are between 16 and 25 years old…… you’re all still just babies.
“Under-age drinking is just an extension of already abusive behavior in young adults….”
-No underage drinking is something that spans the ages..in fact until arbitrary age limits came about people drank at any age…I come from a French Canadian background where children wete introduced to alcohol and taught how to use it responsibly at an early age. That is why when I went to college I didn’t act like a sailor who just came ashore after a 5 year tour at sea…
“I’m willing to bet that the cop-haters in this case are between 16 and 25 years old”
-Well then pay up sucker cause I don’t fall within that demographic.
“These people had no business throwing a secret party on privately owned
land. These types of events need to be sanctioned in the name of public
safety….”
-Public safety?? Sanction? What a joke..Cops (public safety officials) busted a party…people scattered..now one is dead because of your precious “public safety”…
Yeah and then we could just have meat wagons come and scrape them up off the road with shovels. Look I can’t say much about it because I drank before I was 21 and even while I was in college studying, of all things, Law Enforcement technology. But the reason the party is held in a “Hidden location” is because there is a lot of illegal drinking going on. And I don’t know if you are in college, too young or can remember college days, but large groups and alcohol usually ended in a few fights, a couple questionable sexual escapades and someone usually in jail or the hospital.
I would say it would be best for the school to bring it back on campus so it can be monitored in a much safer manner for all.
“But the reason the party is held in a “Hidden location” is because there is a lot of illegal drinking going on. ”
-No there has always been illegal drinking on campus..nothing new…just now we live in a police state so the cops are cracking down and the kids are moving out into the willy wags to get wasted instead of staying on campus.
“I would say it would be best for the school to bring it back on campus so it can be monitored in a much safer manner for all.”
I couldn’t agree more.
that would mean the school would be providing a location for underage people to drink..which is illegal.
Thank you, captain obvious. I think what we were trying to say is the school shouldn’t be so quick to bust students. If the school didn’t chase them off campus and turned a “blind eye” you wouldn’t have children seeking out remote areas to do what they are going to do anyway..
This event should be moved back to the Campus, where it’s safe and kids don’t have to take unnecessary risks to have a good time.
We so often disagree…it’s nice to be on the same page.
Who would be liable if the partying resulted in injuries or a fatality on campus? The university cannot host this event then turn a blind eye to the consequences.
If you saw the destruction that these young adults left behind then maybe you would understand why the cops chase them off.
Maybe BDN should get us a story/pictures on that? There seems to be a long history of this activity, maybe we could see statistics on the possible negative outcomes these outings have had.
I have no knowledge of what occurred at Chickenfest this year. However, I did attend one several years ago, and was one of the last people to leave. Almost all of the trash was picked up and there was no damage to the property. I see more trash left after many high school sporting events than was left after the Chickenfest I attended. That year, the police had a light presence to make sure no one was hurt, but they were mostly hands-off. I feel such an approach lead to a more self-responsible atmosphere.
I see more trash on the side of the road during Election seasons.
Exactly! PERFECT!
Really? Have you driven to the location and seen the trash that was left behind? I have and it was not pretty. This why these little roads get gated off.
Well, go clean it up.
They left a pile of trash as high as The Tannery. Blew down Route 2 like McDonalds bags. Left the pit with more holes then the PVHS parking lot.
I hope they find this young man, and soon, but Chickenfest is a college tradition, and great for any economy that hosts it. I’ve been, and we didn’t leave our trash, but to have the cops chase them off? Sitting at the exit, and making sure noone is OUI is one thing. But chasing them off is creating more problems. Kids will take off, create smaller parties, and leave friends behind, due to their hasty exit. Not exactly what happened here, but kids will party. The police should stop ’em for oui checks, but leave an other wise peaceful group, breaking a meaningless law, alone. My silly opinion.
Have you noticed the ditches on the interstate? My guess is adults are passively teaching their kids to litter either by tossing trash out their windows or not securing things they carry in their trucks.
But more to the point, I hope Mr. Levasseur is found safe and well very soon!
A parent’s worse nightmare. God be with them. Please find Dean OK…….
First priority is to find this young fellow asap, then we can argue about a bizarre society that sends 18 year olds to war but won’t let them gather for a beer and toke at a contained party, on campus or off.
You have a voice of reason….
Organizing a search party tomorrow morning (in coordination with local law enforcement).
https://www.facebook.com/events/116512481816557/116518518482620/
Coordinating with local law enforcement, his sister Deidra is organizing a search tomorrow morning… https://www.facebook.com/events/116512481816557/116518518482620/
This is totally irresponsible of the kids!! You go to something that big you have your friends backs at all times. If I was that kids parents I would be wild!! Who was he with and why don’t they know where he is at? I did my share of partying when i was younger but we all looked out for each other this is sad, hope he is all right and they find him.
Seems strange that the time and place of the “moose” crash coincide with Dean’s disappearance. Why didn’t anybody bother looking for the “moose” to make sure that it was, in fact, a moose? Call me a conspiracist, but we gotta take Dean’s absence seriously and consider every possibility. Somebody please say something to help me rule this out as a possibility…
hi anon, i was at chickenfest this year and just happened to be walking out to my car at the next road up when the police cruiser did infact hit a moose. there was a group of about 10 of us who saw the whole thing happen from the side of the road.
thanks for the reassurance :)
“Anybody who heard from this guy or saw him since Sunday, we’d be interested in speaking to,” the trooper said, adding that those with information can call the Orono State Police barracks at 866-2121. ***Don’t ever refer to Dean as “this guy”… He’s got a lot of people who genuinely care about him too much to call him “this guy”… Heartless…
“It seems like everything they carried in got left behind — tents, tarps, broken glass,” Fiske said.
Ya think? While the police were breathing down there necks they did not keep house? Don’t try and paint them as vandals and litterers. And did that Trooper really come with the Earth Day reference too? Jeesus. Unbelievable. They were kids having a pit party in the woods.
I hope they find him safe and sound! As far as the party goes, I can see wanting to have some fun and do a little drinking as long as it stays friendly and no one is allowed to drive away drunk! As for leaving their big mess for someone else to clean up only means they aren’t mature enough to have the party and the police should stop it!
He probably got lost hiding from the people trying to break up the party. If they were left alone they probably would have cleaned up the site but it looks like everybody had to leave in a hurry. It’s too bad the police feel the need to babysit everybody. They have been having these parties for years with no serious events so leave them alone; it’s springtime in college.
He probably got lost trying to escape from the people that were trying to break up the party. They probably would have cleaned up their mess if they didn’t get chased out of there in a hurry. It’s too bad the police in this state have no crime to deal with and spend their time babysitting the subjects. I hope this fellow is found safe and sound.
I don’t see what the problem is with them being out there. I live right close to where they had the Chicken Fest in Greenfield. We didn’t have any problems with them. They are just trying to have a good time. Everyone who went was going to stay where they were, and they were all polite and for the most part picked up their trash. The only thing that was left was the burnt couch. Let them have some fun. Hopefully they find Deen soon and that he is okay.
Let’s pay attention to the task at hand. College kids throw parties. End of story. Please like this and share…it’s a search party that started at 8:30 this morning. There are directions.
https://www.facebook.com/events/116512481816557/116518518482620/
What was this article actually about, a missing young man, or a cop bragging about how they ” Always find out where the party is.” Good luck to the missing young man and his family but take the rest of that stupid stuff out so it seems a little more urgent.
If this was such an up and up event, then why did the participants trespass on and trash private property, and leave behind the remains of everything they carried in? If they feel so strongly about having a big party in the Maine woods, why don’t they purchase their own place to make a mess of?
On another note, I hope the missing young man is found.
I think the responsibility for this kid being missing is on his friends…how could they let him just disapear?
And, can someone who was there confirm….was he onstage with his band at 11pm?
what is up with this “text message” that he sent on Sunday?
@facebook-503008674:disqus Don’t go blaming it on his friends… Do you have any idea what his friends are going through? We have very little details and still are unsure whether or not foulplay was involved. Regardless, nobody is to blame at this point in the investigation.