AUGUSTA (AP) — A Maine lawmaker wants the state to establish a new law enforcement unit to re-examine unsolved major criminal cases.

State Rep. Stephen Stanley’s bill would create a four-person unit in the state Attorney General’s office to work exclusively on cold cases, with a prosecutor, police detectives and a crime laboratory worker. The unit would cost about $530,000 in the first year and about $430,000 in each subsequent year.

The Medway Democrat’s proposal was inspired by the unsolved 1980 slaying of a friend’s teenage daughter.

His proposal has the support of Deputy Attorney General William Stokes.

Stokes told the Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/MNHdpc ) that Maine has 120 cold cases dating to 1953, including unsolved homicides, missing persons cases in which crimes are suspected and suspicious deaths that may have been crimes.


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.

filed under: