SABATTUS — Sometimes his reports were spot on. Sometimes, they were so far off the mark, it was mind-blowing.
For reasons not yet determined, the controversial Facebook page “Maine Police & Fire Alerts” has been taken down.
By Friday morning, several people were reporting that the page, run by Gregory Powers of Sabattus, could no longer be accessed. It remained unclear whether Powers took the page down or if Facebook did it for him.
Sabattus police said Friday afternoon that they were not involved in any decision to remove the page.
The disappearance of the page, with its 36,000 followers, comes just weeks after it was falsely reported on the page that a state representative had died.
The report drew harsh criticism from the representative in question. Powers had already been criticized by several area police departments, including Maine State Police, who posted on their own Facebook page that information posted at “Maine Police & Fire Alerts” was less than reliable.
At the start of the year, Powers told a news crew that he used a $20 police scanner and simply reported what he heard.
The alerts page had been controversial since it was created a few years ago. However, extra attention was paid to the page at the start of May after it reported that a state representative had been found dead in a Lebanon home.
The post led many to believe that Rep. Karen Gerrish of Lebanon had died.
Gerrish, as it turned out, was alive and well, not to mention angry. She referred to “Maine Police & Fire Alerts” as “fake news” and “trash.” She encouraged people to stop following the page while others demanded that Facebook take it down.
On Friday, when it was learned that the page was gone, reactions were mixed. Some people thought it was about time. Some thought it was a shame.
“Where am I going to get my news on underground FEMA tunnels and alien conspiracies?” wondered Andrew Jones, of Lewiston. “I am disappointed though — the page was, at the very least, entertaining.”
Messages left for Powers on Friday afternoon were not immediately returned.
The controversial Facebook page “Maine Police & Fire Alerts” is no longer accessible. (Facebook image)
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