LEWISTON – Convicted kidnapper and robber Norm Dickinson will be released from Maine State Prison on today, and once again state officials are working to find a place for him.
One plan is for the self-described “ticking time bomb” to be housed on the grounds of the Maine Correctional Center in Windham. Corrections officials said Dickinson’s release conditions include electronic monitoring with a global positioning device as well as 24-hour-a-day supervision.
There has been no mention of the possibility that Dickinson again could be sent to Lewiston upon his release.
In 1990, Dickinson was convicted of kidnapping and robbing two women near the Maine Mall in South Portland the year before. According to court records, Dickinson was carrying a toy gun when he approached the women. He also claimed to be an undercover officer. Investigators said Dickinson ordered one of the women to drive him to a secluded area a short distance away.
He told a woman he was going to sexually assault her but that she would be OK if she complied. The woman escaped and Dickinson was later caught, tried and convicted.
In late 1996, he was about to be released from prison after serving seven years of a 20-year sentence. Court officials ordered that he be held under house arrest, and Dickinson reacted by writing a letter to a Superior Court justice, describing himself as a “bomb.”
“I feel your honor is setting me up for failure,” Dickinson wrote to the judge. “I feel your restricting me to my home for five years is going to be the spark that sets the bomb off.”
Before Dickinson could be released, police alerted residents in Portland of the move through the news media. After that, Dickinson was sent to a pre-release center in Bangor for three months.
In 1997, Lewiston residents expressed their anger and fear when plans to release Dickinson in the city began to circulate. City leaders fought the prison system to keep Dickinson out. The police chief fumed that Lewiston was being used as a “dumping ground.”
The outcry thwarted Dickinson’s plans for freedom. He was ordered to remain in prison after refusing to come to Lewiston to face angry residents.
Three years later, after more prison time, Dickinson finally came to Lewiston and moved to an apartment on Drew Street. Police dutifully notified neighbors and waited for fallout.
Four days later, Dickinson was accused of exposing himself to three women while walking down the road. He was sent back to prison.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.