HOULTON, Maine — Police have arrested a Houlton man and charged him with multiple crimes after he allegedly burned two youngsters with a lit cigarette.
Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin said late Thursday afternoon that Adam Maguire, 28, was charged with violating conditions of release, two counts of domestic violence assault and two counts endangering the welfare of a child.
The Bangor Daily News is not releasing the names of the youngsters as they are victims.
According to police, Maguire burned both of the children with a lit cigarette in their upper back and neck areas “in an attempt to show them pain compliance while meditating.”
Asselin said both victims had superficial burns on their skin.
The alleged acts were committed on Sunday, Nov. 25, at Maguire’s residence on State Street.
Maguire is currently on probation for the December 2008 Andy’s IGA burglary.
Maguire disclosed to Houlton Detective Kris Calaman that he has a history of self-mutilation.
Police received a statement from Maguire’s girlfriend, who said she and Maguire were showing the two children meditation techniques. They thought meditation would be helpful because one of the youngsters had been diagnosed with ADHD. The children were informed that when you clear your mind, you are no longer susceptible to pain, according to the police report.
The matter was referred to the Houlton Police Department by the Department of Health and Human Services. The children are now in the care of relatives.
Calaman is the investigating officer in the case, which remains under investigation.
You can’t make this stuff up.
Actually it happens more often than anyone wants to admit.
In 1982 a child arrived here (after a home visit) with a electric stove burner pattern on his hand. His mother’s boyfriend had held his hand on the stove to “teach’ him that stoves were hot.
In 1984 Auburn, Maine, a man named John Lane cooked to death his
girlfriend’s four-year-old daughter in an electric oven. He has claimed
he was under the influence of drugs and was convinced the girl had to
be thrown into “the lake of fire” to exorcise her of demonic possession.
In 1990, former DHS worker Debbie Wolfendon beat her foster son, Ricky LeTourneau to death for peeing on her floor. Ricky was four at the time.
In 1993 Tonia Kegas Porter starved her five year old daughter Tavielle to death over a six week period. Although this happened in Capehart where the apartments share common walls, no neighbors heard the child yelling for help, nor did they think it odd that they never saw her during that six week time period.
In 2001 former DHS worker Sally Schofield duct taped 5-year-old foster child Logan Marr to a high chair in her basement. She also affixed tape across Logan’s mouth. She died when she vomited into her gag, and choked to death.
Many more. Missing children, who can not possibly be alive. Dead children who for whatever reason have been ruled to have died accidentally. but surely not uncommon..
Do they teach “pain compliance while meditating” during stays in the State Prison?
and the unfortunate thing he probably won’t go to MSP and will end up on probation. He deserves prison time though!!!
we can only hope
Yes…except ‘meditation’ means something wildly different when you’re in a shower full of angry men.
He wont go to jail. They will say he is mentally ill. Excuse after excuse for evil.
My thoughts about what should be done to these two are better left unstated…..
Here we go again… and nobody around these two ever saw the chance that children were in danger? Where are the families? Would they even be helpful? Society keeps giving undeserving people a “pass”, when not all are qualified. And the cycle repeats…
Morons!
He looks evil
might not be around to see it but what goes around comes around and he’ get his someday. I just hope these children never have to see this man again….Special place for people like this and I hope it is a tormented cruel place.
Now here are two poster children for the pro-life crowd. I would say this guy and his girlfriend would make great poster children for the pro postnatal abortion crowd. Let them at least be tatooed across their faces to identify them as child abusers.
You may appreciate this;
Charles Manson’s mother wanted to abort Charles, but Indiana, at the time had a ban on ALL abortions. She was too poor to get to Illinois, where she could have had an abortion. So she waited till he was five, and gave him up to the State. Indiana had no place for an unwanted 5-year-old so they put Char4les in the Indiana reform school, where he was repeatedly raped by staff and inmates. I find it interesting that the anti-abortion crowd was not busting down the doors to adopt this boy.
People can’t face that many children in custody or housed away from their family are abused. Yet it is true and has continued for decades.
I’ve seldom seen a more outraged and less productive group of people than the posters on this subject.
Sure the adults are clueless, and yes it is sad for the young victims, BUT when these children grow up….and they will… and when they burn, beat neglect their own children, because that is what happens. Will you folks (much older and hopefully wiser) still be calling for the burning, beating, and castration of today’s children? After all they are where tomorrow’s abusive adults come from.
There is only one course of action which occasionally changes cruel behavior. That involves education in parenting, a bit of understanding, and some kindness.
That doesn’t fit on the average bumper sticker, so it is probably too much for today’s society to grasp. NEVER in my years on this planet have I seen violence and cruelty cure violence and cruelty.
You are absolutely right about the cycle, however, don’t you feel a little outrage at the offender? It’s okay to have contradictory feelings. I understand you and you may be right, the offender was probably abused but that doesn’t give him any kind of permission as an adult to abuse or let him off the hook for the abuse.
Outrage? No. seen too much of this behavior to be surprised.
I have absolutely NO contradictory feelings.
I give no one permission to abuse ANYONE. unfortunately that doesn’t stop them from doing what they do.
My point is that all this “posturing” looking tough on crime doesn’t do any good. I did not hear your suggestion for stopping this cycle, although you seem not to like mine.
I am not surprised that you didn’t answer my question.
Grat post!
I worked for a long period of time with dysfunctional teenagers–the throw-away kids that society doesn’t give a damn about until their car is burgled or home broken into. We may be outraged by their actions and some posters want to smoke -em to death. That will not break the cycle. We mustn’t give up on the kids–and trust me–I’ve worked with teens who went on to be murderers and serial rapists in our state. I’ve also worked with kids who got better over time and became productice citizens. Giving up on the young is a disgrace and intellectually lazy. Similarly, the perp in this case is 28 and has had this or similar done to him as a kid. Give up on the young man if you wish, but be prepared to house him in the criminal justice system/welfare dungeon for his life. These are vexing, complicated issues that people need to think about, rather than react to viserally.
Removing them from society so they can’t influence the next generation also ends the cycle of violence.
Only if it is a permanent removal, and if you also “remove” the children who suffered his/her first abuse.
BUT at least you offered an alternative.
There is a special place in Hell just waiting for a person like this. I hope he soon finds it.
I wonder whether he was ready to flee to Disney World, too.
You know…the place kids love.
I can not say what I would like to say…….THEY wouldnt put it up. So all I will say is I would love to get my hands on this guy and ………
Do not allow him to be around me!
Death Penalty……..let them meditate in the electric chair….or at the end of a rope!
This makes me physically ill :( I hope they upgrade the charges. I hope the judge throws him in prison for a long long long time :(
Is he the father of these two children? There is no mention of their parents – curious as to why? They mention the girlfriend but not as their mother.
This man needs to be locked up and the key thrown away or there will be another event such as the one that just took place in Alton.
“The children were informed that when you clear your mind, you are no longer susceptible to pain, according to the police report.”
The last time I heard anything as curious as this a man on television was asking for seed money.
The humble Farmer
obvious loser. someone should burn his nuts with a lit cigarette.
This scumbag needs to be beaten severely about the head and shoulders