PORTLAND (AP) – A man wanted in Portland, Ore., and arrested in Portland, Maine, is in limbo as authorities in both states decide what to do with him when it seems neither state wants custody.

Dwight Lindblom, who was wanted in Portland, Ore., for violating probation by leaving the state after an armed robbery conviction, was arrested last year in Portland, Maine, and charged with stalking several women.

Since October, Portland Police Chief Michael Chitwood has asked, pushed and begged officials in Oregon to take Lindblom. Until recently, his requests were rebuffed by Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s office, even after the state offered to pay $3,000 for a plane ticket to Oregon.

“When he was first arrested, I sent a letter to the state of Oregon asking for them to extradite him,” Chitwood said Monday, noting Lindblom has convictions in seven states. “They’ve kind of stonewalled us until recently.”

Lindblom, a transient from Oregon, was indicted in December on charges of harassment, failure to register as a sex offender and violation of the interstate compact. He is being held on a $25,000 bond.

Kulongoski’s office recently agreed to take Lindblom if Maine paid for his ticket west.

“Our policies are only to extradite people from states with whom we have a shuttle relationship. As everyone else, we have an extreme budget crunch here,” said Mary Ellen Glynn, a spokeswoman in Kulongoski’s office. “It’s a sheer matter of money. And the state of Maine offered to pay for his extradition, and we accepted.”

But in Cumberland Superior Court on Monday, Lindblom said he’d rather stay in Maine and fight extradition. Judge Thomas Delahanty explained to Lindblom that he could only contest extradition by proving he was not the person wanted in Oregon.

If Lindblom returned to Oregon, he could spend up to nine months in jail. In Maine, he would serve six months at most, prosecutors have said.

Lindblom’s convictions include a 1980 rape in Minnesota and sexual assault in California, officials said.

In Oregon, Lindblom served two years for burglary after initially being charged with breaking into an 83-year-old Salem woman’s home and trying to assault her. Lindblom disappeared six months into his four-year post-prison supervision.

AP-ES-01-26-04 1851EST