PORTLAND (AP) – The Supreme Judicial Court gave new life Tuesday to a Fort Kent woman’s harassment lawsuit against the town’s police chief in a dispute arising from complaints about noise on a local snowmobile trail.

The justices concluded that the District Court erred in dismissing Priscilla Staples’ complaint against Chief Kenneth Michaud.

Staples alleged that Michaud threatened her after she complained last December about noise on the Heritage Trail, which runs near her home. In her lawsuit, Staples quoted Michaud as saying she put her own safety at risk by taking an outspoken stance against the trail.

In his motion to dismiss the complaint, Michaud indicated that he accepted Staples’ version of the facts as true but disputed Staples’ characterizations of his actions as threatening or intimidating.

In an interview, Michaud said he was simply relaying what people were saying about Staples so she would be aware of the level of animosity brought on by her actions.

“She’s a person who will never let go,” the chief said, noting that Staples would stand outside with a video camera to record snowmobilers as they rode by.

“I told her as a warning that people were getting upset at her, and I was doing it for her own good.” he said.

Staples said her lawsuit seeks “administrative relief” but no monetary damages.

“I need to live in my house and be able to walk the streets and be protected and be able to live in a quiet residential area,” she said in a brief interview. “There’s a big-time snowmobile industry up here, and I can’t do that.”

AP-ES-11-25-03 1618EST