LEWISTON – Camera crews. Flashing police lights. Reporters with microphones and notebooks.

Everyone hoping for some excitement as they set out with officers from Lewiston Police, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, and the Central Maine Violent Crimes Task Force.

Sgt. Michael Parshall of the Lewiston Police Department stayed behind to further coordinate tips coming in from the hot line. Parshall heads the Selective Enforcement Task Force at LPD.

The task force changed over from days to work the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift Monday night.

“There’s no overtime involved,” he said.

Sitting in his police car next to WGME’s news van, a voice came over his radio at 6:07 p.m. announcing, “We got one,” Police had just arrested Patrick Pennington in front of the Cage on Ash Street. Parshall informed reporters waiting with him for breaking news.

Parshall was notified of a tip called in on another fugitive at 6:23 p.m. and dispatched the information to his task force, but police were unable to locate the man. At 6:35 p.m. — another call, another tip, another disappointment. For the next several hours, things were relatively quite on his end from the hot line, but officers were receiving their own tips from the streets.

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