WINSLOW — A Waterville man earned a footnote in history Monday night when he allegedly lit a fireworks display after 10 p.m. on Perch Road and was charged soon afterward.
Brian Robert Stackpole, 22, of 4 King St., Apt. 2, Waterville, was the first person to be summoned in Winslow for violating restrictions on use of consumer fireworks since Jan. 1, the day a decades-old statewide ban on fireworks was lifted.
Winslow allows the sale, possession and use of fireworks, but state law limits use to between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Police received a complaint of fireworks at 10:19 p.m. from Camp Caribou on Pattee Pond. A counselor told police that a fireworks display across the pond had scared a group of young campers.
Police found the source of the fireworks and summoned Stackpole because of the time of night, said Chief Jeffrey Fenlason.
The charge, a civil violation, carries a maximum fine of $500. Stackpole is scheduled to appear at 8:30 a.m., Sept. 4, at Waterville District Court, Fenlason said.
According to dispatch logs, Winslow police have received nearly 50 fireworks complaints since consumer fireworks store Pyro City Maine opened on May 25 on China Road. An advisory committee is looking at possible restrictions to fireworks use within town limits. The committee — comprising Fenlason, the fire chief and two town councilors — will present its recommendations to the town council as early as July 9.
Committee members say they’re seeking a compromise solution.
In Waterville, the city council enacted an outright ban on fireworks use on June 18. Police have issued one warning since then, but no summons either before or after the ban.
Ben McCanna — 861-9239
bmccanna@centralmaine.com
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