DEXTER, Maine — Money raised from a road race to be held in honor of the Lake family will, in part, be put toward a fund aimed at electronic monitoring of domestic violence abusers.
The second annual Amy, Coty, Monica Memorial 5K Race/Walk to End Domestic Violence will be run on Sunday, June 17, beginning at Bud Elms Field on Zions Hill Road in Dexter at 10 a.m.
Amy Lake and her two children, Coty and Monica, were murdered by her estranged husband, Steven, in their home last June. Steven Lake then killed himself.
Rep. Kenneth Fredette, R-Newport, helped get an electronic monitoring fund put into the supplemental state budget. The fund has $500 of seed money in it, said Fredette, with the hopes of more money being donated.
Fredette explained that an electronic monitor, such as an ankle bracelet, could give victims of domestic violence an opportunity to flee if the abuser gets within a certain range.
Last year’s road race raised $19,000 among 700 participants, said organizer Kelly Gay, a kindergarten teacher at Ridge View Community School in Dexter, where Amy Lake taught.
Half of that money was donated to Dover-Foxcroft’s Womancare, an organization that is working to end domestic violence, and the Amy, Coty, Monica Scholarship Fund in Dexter.
This year, proceeds will go toward the electronic monitoring fund, said Gay.
“What’s more important, the scholarship fund or a fund that could actually save somebody’s life?” Gay said, noting that the scholarship fund has sufficient funds at the moment. “If that particular device was around, it could’ve saved all three of them.”
The money in the electronic monitoring fund will be initially used for research and groundwork, so that in the future a more robust plan for electronic monitoring can be put in place, Fredette said.
Other details also would have to be worked out, such as who would have the monitors placed on them and who would monitor those people.
“We’re not there yet because we don’t have the foundation,” said Fredette.
Registration for the race is between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. Sunday. The race starts at 10 a.m. The cost is $20 to race or walk in the 5K.
Ummmm how come domestic abusers are not court mandated to pay for their own electronic monitoring devices? The money should be going to domestic violence programs…..not to the losers who commit the crime and are convicted of the crime. As usual this is backwards.
With that kind of background, how many of them have a job, can keep a job or get a job? Someone would still have to pay for it.
You’d be amazed at what people can come up with for cash when the court tells them to….
TLMMSW, you missed the point. “Domestic violence programs” tend significantly not to save lives and when it is said that they do there is no data supporting it. Literally. Specifically, Amy, Coty and Monica were not saved by their domestic violence agency interactions. The data proving that is that they are all now deceased.
This money is not going to the perpetrators of DV, it is going to keeping perpetrators away from their intended homicide victims. It takes no thought to know what that return on investment will be. GPS monitoring and warning is the last and most necessary safety net for women, children and men in the sights of maniacal DV pepetrators and killers.
There is one guarantee: If all 20 of Steven Lakes guns had been sought, inventoried and secured by the Piscataquis County Sherriff’s Department (they did not do that as required) as mandated by Judge Stipham on July 21, 2010 and as mandated by state statute (MRSA 19-A, 101, 4006) and federal law (18 USC 922), and if proximity monitoring was in place on the morning of June 13, 2011 at 173 Shore Road, all of the Lake family would be guaranteed to still be alive. Guaranteed.
Only people with IQ’s below sea level argue that point by saying inanely, “but he would have just gotten another gun”. What those people are saying in code is, “there is nothing we can do to stop this, so let’s just let the killing continue”. I consider it exceedingly unjust that Amy, Coty and Monica recognized the weapon that ended their lives after doing everything they could possibly do to save themselves. So, it is law enforcement that failed them. But even in light of that, GPS proximity monitoring would have kept them alive.
Or perhaps given them the warning necessary to return fire.
And therein lies the return on investment in contemporary/ethical law enforcement AND GPS proximity monitoring/warning. Instead, four people now lie in graves in Harmony and Athens.
I have no problem with GPS systems for the slime balls who are abusers- put shock collars on them for all I care. My point, and only point, was the perpetrators should have to pay for the GPS systems themselves- just like OUI drivers have to pay for a DEEP class and pay for alcohol monitoring devices installed in their cars and pay for SR-22 insurance. Nobody’s monetarily helping out the OUI drivers with a 5 k run and they probably kill more people than DV perps per year. DV abusers committed a crime and part of being held accountable for the bad choices we make in life sometimes cost us a lot of money which should be their responsibility and if you can’t pay for GPS then sit in jail until you can. Welcome to personal responsibility…..so if you’re a DV perp- plan on getting your check book out.
You make a BOLD statement in using the word “GUARANTEED”. The Dexter PD, like most small towns, has one unit in town per shift. Granted the Chief is in the office on the day shift and one Officer is on patrol.
Even if there was this so-called ” GPS proximity monitoring”, the response time to the remote location of 173 Shore Road is more than several minutes. Plenty of bad things can happen in several minutes- you know this to be a fact. As a former law enforcement officer, you should be more cognizant of everything that could have played a part in this tragedy. I find you to be irresponsible in you condemnation of law enforcement. Maybe Westbrook had the perfect PD when you worked there, but I GUARANTEE you, the real world works differently.
We can all Monday morning quarterback this, and most of us have. But to say law enforcement “failed them” is a slap in the face to every man and woman who puts on the uniform every day and goes out to serve. Evil lives in this world, Mr Gagan. Evil things happen to good people. Do NOT demonize law enforcement when there is plenty of blame to go around- but then again, blaming law enforcement justifies your group’s existence.