Three Oxford County men indicted on federal gun charges

LEWISTON — Three Oxford County hunters were indicted this week by a federal grand jury for being felons with firearms.

The trio was charged with fraudulently obtaining hunting licenses and being prohibited persons with firearms earlier in state court.

The charges stem from an incident in November 2015 when the men were charged by the Maine Warden Service on a property adjacent to a Paris farm where the brother of two of the men charged Wednesday shot and killed 18-year-old Megan Ripley in an unrelated hunting incident in 2006.

The incident has prompted law enforcement officials and state lawmakers to consider possible changes to Maine’s regulations or laws aimed at barring felons from being able to apply for and receive Maine firearms hunting licenses. And although federal law makes furnishing firearms to felons a crime, state law does not. Some lawmakers are investigating a change in state statutes that would mimic the federal firearms law.

Andrew Bean, 51, and David Foster, 39, both of South Paris, each faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 followed by a maximum of three years of supervised release on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm.

Bean’s brother, Stephen, 55, was indicted on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Each count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 maximum fine for each.

Stephen Bean was convicted of felony operating after revocation in 2005. He is accused of having a Mossberg Maverick 88, 12-gauge shotgun and a Savage 110 .270-caliber Winchester hunting rifle in November

He also was charged with having a Mossberg 395 12-gauge shotgun and a Savage 110 .243 Winchester hunting rifle in January.

Andrew Bean was convicted in 2002 and in 2006 of felony operating under the influence and operating after revocation.

He is accused of having a Mossberg Maverick 88 12-gauge shotgun in November 2015.

Foster was convicted in 1995 of felony theft and burglary and a separate higher level burglary along with felony burglary of a motor vehicle.

He is accused of having a Savage 110 .270-caliber hunting rifle in November 2015.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is seeking the forfeiture of Stephen Bean’s four guns that were found in his possession in November and January.

An incident on Stock Farm Road in Paris on Nov. 21, 2015, led to the gun charges against the three men who were reported for possibly trespassing in the area. They were indicted in February by an Oxford County grand jury, a month before the federal indictments were handed up in U.S. District Court in Portland.

On the county level, Andrew Bean was indicted on a second criminal OUI charge that stemmed from an arrest in December 2015, after he had posted bail on the weapons charge.

The Maine Warden Service arrested Bean on Nov. 25, 2015, charging him with being in violation of condition of release after he was found at his home under the influence of alcohol and in possession of alcohol.

Bean is being held at Cumberland County Jail in Portland.

Stephen Bean and Foster are free on bail.

In November 2015, wardens had been performing a trespass enforcement detail in response to complaints by Bean’s neighbors, including Troy Ripley.

In 2006, Ripley’s daughter, Megan, was shot and killed in a fatal hunting incident. Andrew Bean’s other brother, Timothy Bean, was charged and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, admitting he had mistaken Megan Ripley for a deer when he pulled the trigger on the muzzle-loading gun he was using.

“I am thankful the U.S. Attorney’s Office has zero tolerance for gun crimes against our society,” Troy Ripley said in written statement Friday night. “Now is the time for the sportsmen, outdoor enthusiasts, and all who enjoy the privilege of using private property insist the punishment imposed reflects the long and repeated criminal behavior of these individuals. It is apparent by their repeated convictions these criminals have no regard for the public’s safety or well being,” he said.

“It is unfortunate that convicted felons parasitically passing themselves off as hunters know the system is so flawed that they brazenly obtain hunting licenses year after year,” he said. “That alone clearly demonstrates the need for positive common sense changes in the way Maine does business.”

Ripley also lauded the efforts of the Maine Warden Service.

“The professionalism, thoroughness, and tenacity demonstrated by the Maine Wardens involved in this investigation were unparalleled. Unquestionably they take serious private landowner rights, public safety, and protecting the privilege of hunting on private property,” Ripley said.

[email protected]