BANGOR, Maine — Police arrested an intoxicated Bangor transient early Saturday morning after he threatened an officer who tried to wake him while he was sleeping on the ground, according to police.
Officer Richard Polk found a man lying on the ground near Dunkin’ Donuts on Main Street in Bangor who “didn’t want to wake up,” according to Bangor police Sgt. James Buckley.
When Polk attempted to jostle the man awake, the man, later identified as Mark Whitmore, a 52-year-old Bangor transient, said, “Touch me again, I’ll blow your head off,” the sergeant said while reading from the police report.
Polk and another officer then held Whitmore down and handcuffed him so they could search for weapons. The search didn’t turn up any weapons or other contraband, Buckley said.
Whitmore was taken to Penobscot County Jail and charged with criminal threatening and violation of conditions of release.
A second count of criminal threatening was added when Whitmore told officers at the jail that he would burn and shoot them, according to the police report.
“Looks like [Whitmore] has a lengthy history with us,” Buckley said.
Whitmore appears in past Bangor Daily News court listings for crimes ranging from disorderly conduct to assault.
man,, dunkin donut’s sure causes a lot of grief downtown. lol.. you couldn’t afford the advertisement’s they get..
but with the concerts right in front of them, i bet the get slammed on concert days
he was sleeping and not bothering anyone not defending him but come on people face it the homeless are here and they have to sleep somewhere he had no weapons or contraban
Come on now, a body on the ground and the police check on him. Now it is the cops fault. If you had someone on your front lawn and called the police would you expect them to check on him or would it be OK for the cops to just say he needs some place to sleep.
What if he was dead, what if he was a diabetic, what if he had alcohol poisoning, what if he OD’ed on something? Should the police just ignore him? Lets see how many law suits would fly or how many stories in the paper they would be if he was left to die.
So the cops do their job and he threatens to kill them. If he threatened to kill you would that be OK? I am sure he was awake by the time he got to jail and he threatened them also.
But if you still feel he is OK and just needs a place to stay please call Bangor PD with you address, I am sure they will drop them off.
Whats the charge?
Aiding and A Bedding!
LOL
Threatening? Violation of parole? Public intoxication? Please learn to read. The article was only about ten very short paragraphs.
Yeah, and its not like there ain’t a homeless shelter a tenth of a mile from that particular Dunkin’ Donuts
Homeless shelters kick everyone out in the morning, they can not return until nighttime.
Then perhaps finding a daytime activity that isn’t sleeping on a sidewalk might be the way to avoid this sort of issue. Give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he can eat the rest of his days. Would you want this guy sleeping on the sidewalk in front of your home? Or are you saying that you would have invited him in and let him sleep on your couch while you were away at your job? Enlighten me, for you have really peaked my interest… So basically, we give homeless folks a place to sleep at night, when most of us sleep, but apparently that wasn’t enough for this gentleman because he needed to sleep more on a sidewalk? Since its daylight, why not go down to the Irving, clean up in the bathroom and at least attempt to make your station in life a tad better. Or just threaten to blow a cops brains out and us tax payers can flip the bill for three hots and a cot, like this gentleman. *SIGH* I suppose though, its America, lets all just sleep on sidewalks and collect welfare… That was the point you where driving at right?
I had to edit to reply. I haven’t wasted my time on the dregs of society EVER. But thats what is great about this country, bleeding heart liberal hippies give away all the hard earned money to lazy entitled street scum that would stab you and take your wallet just as soon as take your help in all of your amazing humanitarian work. A whole lot of good its done too bud, seeing how this crap still happens every day. I will run my mouth about just what ever I feel like in a public forum. I own property, pay taxes and make sure MY community isn’t plagued by the scum you invite into your community with your “open houses” and helping people get training and blah. More like scoring more money for methadone clinics and getting junkies that welfare you think they are so entitled too…
How many jobs have you created for people on assistance?
Right now I have over 30 people who used to be on welfare on the payroll, giving them training, a living wage, health insurance and a retirement fund.
When was the last time you went to a homeless shelter and talked to the people there to try and better your understanding on why homelessness happens?
I spent my summer helping open a house for homeless teenagers trying to stay in school and better themselves.
Guess what – not one red cent of the money that it took to open that home came from taxpayers – so “we” don’t give them a place to stay like you would love to claim.
When was the last time you spent time in your community helping our youths try and stay on track? I spend over 20 hours a week trying to help at risk youths.
Put your time and resources into your community and help these people instead of running off at the mouth thinking your better then them because your not.
The police didn’t just “check on him”. They woke him from his sleep and, thereby, provoked him. Then, instead of being anything but empathetic to his plight of having to sleep on the ground, they, because they have a black uniform, badge and a pistol, arrest him for a few words he utters as he shakes off his sleep. Sounds like punks to me … and there are plenty being weeded out of police departments everywhere. I hope a proper investigation results to determine what, if any, training or disciplinary action is warranted with regard to Polk’s handy police work here. Policemen should not be hired without, at least, a Bachelor’s Degree in social work, obviously.
We all have a right not be rudely awakened by police. They need to gently rub our backs until we come to. No matter where we sleep!
Heh. I was being serious.
We should make these drunks and druggies get a bachelors degree. The police already have good jobs!
No one said the sleeperewas either a drunk or a drugger. Did they? Or, were you talking about the 28 year old 10th graders in uniform?
Stepping over drunks sleeping it off does a lot of good for the businesses and especially for the quality of life index.
As far as the threatening goes, it was just the drunken ramblings of a bum not wanting to be disturbed.
my upstairs neighbor was found totally passed out in front of our building last fall and my husband called the cops because he was unresponsive. I think the cop was just looking out for the welfare of the man in this instance. And I am sorry but I would not want to see a homeless person laying in front of my building or in front of my place of business. there are other places he could have gone….it is not the cops fault for looking out for the man.
I agree with twisted2 in a sense that yes there are homeless people out there that need a place to sleep he wasnt on someones front lawn (unless I missed that part which I could) i used to wake up horribly when I was younger I would hit and yell at my dad lol but I feel for this guy he was not actually doing anything wrong had no weapons they should of woke him told him to shut up and go on his way! Also love how it was added in that he is in the BDN court listings often. That was funny!
He threatened an armed cop. Is that the right thing to do?
A drunken & disorderly charge would have sufficed. Cops are such pussies today. It takes 2 or more to handcuff a drunk. Now cops file charges if they get verbally offended? It’s part of the job, get over it!
“Better to remain silent & be thought a fool than to speak out & remove all doubt…”
Abraham Lincoln
I know someone who was charged with assaulting a police officer once. When multiple people came forward who witnessed the “crime” they said the person never even got near the officer. The officer claimed the “assault” was because the person swore at him.
That does not surprise me at all. It doesnt matter what you say or dont say it matters what the COP says. He could just say there was an assult even if there wasnt and whose side wold hold up in court?? Exactly
I believe that assault is threatening someone, battery is actually carrying out that threat.
Then again beligerance is so accecpted today, maybe that explains our political atmosphere.
they should just call that one drunkin donuts lol. the guy should have woke up and just moved along. its sad to me these people have no place to sleep, but you cant just plant in front of a business like that. find a spot down by the river probably nobody would bother you.
He now has a nice warm spot to sleep and will be fed. Smart like a fox.
true true
Whatever happened to the old saying: “let sleeping drunks lay” or something like that? :)
Actually, this homeless man might not be so dumb. He tricked the cops into giving him a nice warm place to stay and he gets fed on a regular basis. Lots of TV to watch ect. It sure beats sleeping on the ground.
Winter’s coming… he’ll be all warm and fed in a jail cell at taxpayers expense. He’s no fool! lol
Where does it say he is homeless? Most of you are going on and on about him being homeless. I didnt see anything that even implies that he is.
Furthermore, if you are laying somewhere (doesn’t say where except near DD) and a cop “jostles” you awake, Id probably bet you’d have something to say in your half-conscience state that probably isn’t “Would you like a cup of tea?” Lets be clear, here. Ill tell you how it when down: The cop saw him. Attempted to wake him up by yelling. Didnt work. So, he “jostled” (IE: some annoying physical action akin to what the cops would call assault) and the guy, obviously not impressed said something without likely knowing it was a cop. So, then, the guy, still on the ground mind you, gets tackled by two cops who arrest him, stuff him in a cruiser an take him the PCJ.
If I was just minding my own business, takin a nap somewhere (which isnt illegal) then I get kicked (did I say kicked, I meant jostled) by a cop Id be pretty unhappy too.
I think the involved officers time would be better served trying to solve real crimes, instead of harassing sleeping people.