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DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine (WABI) – A former teacher and coach in Milo pleaded guilty Monday morning to six counts of gross sexual assault.

A judge in Dover-Foxcroft sentenced 70-year-old Herbert Carey Jr. to nine months behind bars.

Carey was arrested in August on accusations of sexually assaulting one of his students.

Carey was a teacher and tennis coach at Penquis Valley High School.

He was also listed as an AOS 43 school board member at one point.

Officials say the crimes happened between April 2015 and 2016 and took place in Milo and at Schoodic Lake.

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BROWNVILLE, Maine (WABI) – Thousands upon thousands of words are now in the hands of third graders at Brownville Elementary School.

Members of the Valley Grange delivered dictionaries to students Wednesday as part of its Words for Thirds program.

This is the twentieth year for dictionary day events like this.

Last year, COVID concerns cancelled the chance for the grange members to hand over the books in-person.

Wednesday they came up with a safe option for the students to flip through their new books and ask questions.

Walter Boomsma is the director of the Valley Grange programs.

He says thanks to the help of another group, the Blistered Finger Knitters, Wednesday’s donation didn’t stop at dictionaries.

“We provide a bag, just as we did today in Brownville, a bag of hats and mittens that the school nurse typically takes. Then they get to distribute to kids on an as-needed basis,” said Boomsma.

Boomsma says they’d like to do the same with socks – another item they have found some kids come to school without.

In the past two decades, Grange members have given out close to 3,000 dictionaries

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70-year-old Herbert Carey Jr. was arrested in August on accusations of sexually assaulting one of his students.

MILO, Maine (WABI) – A former teacher and coach in Milo was indicted by a Piscataquis County grand jury on six counts of gross sexual assault.

Seventy-year-old Herbert Carey Jr. was arrested in August on accusations of sexually assaulting one of his students.

Carey was a teacher and tennis coach at Penquis Valley High School.

He was also listed as an AOS 43 school board member at one point.

Officials say the alleged crimes happened between April 2015 and 2016.

We’re told they have an indication the incidents took place in Milo and at Schoodic Lake.

Copyright 2021 WABI. All rights reserved.

MILO, Maine (WABI) – Hope is the word of the day Saturday as the new Dyer Hope House food pantry opened their doors in Milo.

Now named after longtime organizer Hope Dyer and her husband, the center used to be known as the Milo Ecumenical Food Cupboard.

But, they outgrew their old home in a local church basement, and needed a new center with easier access.

They’re now a registered charity, and the new building is a much better fit.

They get their food from local stores and donations, and they’re open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday.

Hope has been involved with the group for more than 20 years, and she’s very excited for what the future of this pantry now holds.

”It’s so much easier to do food cupboard now. We still get people that come in here, and they are desperate. They have nothing in their cupboards,” said Hope Dyer.

“It means a lot to them to have a place that they can come to when they’re in need,” said Andrew East, a longtime volunteer.

Hope says seeing her family’s name on the sign is a little overwhelming.

“We’ve just been here, making sure people have got food,” said Dyer.

The group can always use more volunteers you can find out more information on their Facebook page.

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BROWNVILLE, Maine (WABI) – A family from Brownville is asking the community for support as they navigate a serious medical diagnosis for their infant son.

Bradley Hanson will be two months old on Thursday, September 16th.

His parents say he was born with a heart murmur, which doctors hoped would go away on its own. Instead, his symptoms worsened.

Last week, he was rushed to a Boston hospital after tests revealed he had a narrow aortic valve.

Bradley underwent surgery over the weekend, and now his parents are waiting to hear if he’ll need another operation.

“It’s been very scary,” said Desiree Abbott, Bradley’s mom. “All I’ve wanted to do is pick him up and hold him. When he got his tube out, they told me that he was going to be a healthy little boy, he was gonna be happy. His stats were looking good, and then I watched my nurses eyes go big and she goes pale white and the next thing I know we got 10 people in here and a crash cart.”

“We haven’t been able to hold him or anything like that because of his breathing tube and a lot of the IVs that are in him right now,” said Travis Hanson, Bradley’s dad. “So he’s pretty much pretty sleepy all the time because they’re keeping him sedated.”

Bradley’s dad Travis works as a truck driver and has taken an indefinite leave of absence so he can be with his family.

They say they’re leaning on friends and family during this time.

“We are living off coffee and prayers,” Abbott said in an email to TV5.

They have a GoFundMe set up to help with medical bills, travel expenses, and other costs they accumulate during this time.

If you’d like to contribute, click here.

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MILO, Maine (WABI) – A Milo man accused of murdering his son is being held on $250,000 bail.

Twenty-eight-year-old Reginald Melvin appeared before a judge in Piscataquis County Tuesday afternoon.

Melvin is charged with depraved indifference murder for the death of one-month old Sylus Melvin.

Prosecutors say the incident that caused the infant’s death happened on Sunday in Milo.

Additional court records have been sealed.

Melvin’s next court appearance has not yet been scheduled.

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BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – A LaGrange man will spend three and a half years behind bars for a car crash that killed his passenger last year.

Forty-year-old Randall Hamm pleaded guilty Monday morning to manslaughter and criminal OUI.

State Police say Hamm was driving an SUV on Medford Road in LaGrange in July of last year.

He lost control of the vehicle and it rolled over.

His passenger, 35-year-old Desarae Bourgoine of LaGrange, was thrown out and killed.

Hamm addressed members of Bourgoine’s family who were in the court room.

”Sorry is not enough, it will never be enough, but I am very sorry for what happened. I miss her every day and I know you guys do too. She was amazing, she really was, and I hope you guys can find some peace,: Hamm said.

“I think that having a DV assault conviction with respect to Ms. Bourgoine is an incredibly aggravating factor in this particular situation, so I do reflect upon that. On the other hand I do accept that Mr. Hamm has accepted responsibility. That is a mitigating factor, and I am satisfied that Mr. Hamm has expressed genuine remorse,” said Ann Murray, Superior Court justice.

In addition to prison, Hamm will be on probation for four years and is not to have any contact with the victim’s family.

He will undergo substance abuse treatment and his license will be suspended for 10 years following his release.

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MILO, Maine (WABI) – A former teacher and coach in Milo is accused of sexually assaulting one of his students.

Seventy-year-old Herbert Carey Jr. was arrested Tuesday and charged with six counts of gross sexual assault.

Carey was a teacher and tennis coach at Penquis Valley High School.

He is also listed as an AOS 43 school board member.

Officials say the alleged crimes happened between April 2015 and 2016.

Assistant District Attorney Chris Almy says it involved a student at the school.

“The investigation started in early May of this year when the victim came forward and disclosed to the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office, and from there, the Sheriff himself investigated, and as a result, the defendant has been charged with these offenses,” Almy said.

Almy says they have an indication the incidents took place in Milo and at Schoodic Lake.

Carey is due in court in September.