FRYEBURG – Drunken festivities have gotten out of hand at Saco River campgrounds on the past two weekends.

A total of 13 men, most in their 20s and all from Massachusetts, have been arrested.

Late-night disruptions have been going on for years at Fryeburg’s riverside campgrounds, said Police Chief Wayne Brooking. However, there seem to be more problems this year, he added. Instances typically involve groups of men in their 20s, Brooking said.

Most recently five men in their early 20s were arrested at about 4 a.m. Sunday at Fiddlehead campground. They were charged with criminal mischief, taken to the Oxford County Jail and bailed at $250 apiece, according to police reports.

They must have run out of firewood, Brooking said, because they were in the process of burning two picnic tables when police were called.

Three men in the group were brothers: Jason, Ryan and Kevin Miller of Billerica, Mass., ages 25, 23 and 22, respectively. They were camping with Brian Green, 24, of South Weymouth, Mass., and Jeffrey Keck, 22, of North Billerica, Mass., according to police reports.

Earlier that morning, around 2, three men were arrested, also on criminal mischief charges. They were burning a picnic table, too, Brooking said.

Matthew Gentile, 19, Michael Casoli, 20, and Gregory Mazzone, 20, all of Saugus, Mass., were also charged with underage consumption by the Fryeburg Police Department, said Ann Perante, the department’s office administrator. They were taken to the jail and posted $250 bail each.

While the men were in jail they contributed to one of the highest jail populations Oxford County has ever seen, jail officials said.

The previous weekend, on Aug. 19, a large group of “20-somethings” were camping at the Canal Bridge Campground, Brooking said. Police had warned them at 3 a.m. to quiet down. They did – for awhile.

Police revisited them at about 6 a.m., this time with handcuffs ready. That pleased the other campers, who had been trying to sleep that night. They applauded the police as five men were taken to jail on charges of disorderly conduct, Perante said. They each put up $100 bail pending their court appearances.

Arrested that night were: Nicholas White, 24; Joseph Giuliano, 25; Robert Christiano, 25; Michael Copoulos, 26, and Michael Proctor, 24, all of Canton, Mass.

Brooking said the department polices the river the best it can, but is restricted by limited manpower. Officials from the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office and the Maine State Police sometimes assist them, especially when there’s a problem.

One or two officers usually patrol the river regularly on weekends, Brooking said.

The jail is about 40 miles away from Fryeburg, so transporting prisoners also takes up manpower.

The campgrounds’ owners and managers refused comment.

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