Dustin Marcia’s team’s most recent investigation of 2018? Two nights at the Skowhegan Public Library last weekend.

The weirdest? Their first exorcism this past February, at a couple’s home in Augusta.

Marcia, who founded Central Maine Ghost Hunters out of Skowhegan in 2012, said he first met the 20-something Augusta couple last December when another paranormal team referred them.

They wanted their home checked out, but during that investigation, “it was pretty much quiet,” he said.

Central Maine Ghost Hunters, from left, Michael Marshall, Dustin Marcia, Heather Budesheim, Michael Owens, George White and Renee Evans. The group held a two-night investigation of the Skowhegan Public Library last weekend, inviting the public to join them. Each night more than 30 people did. Submitted photo

Then, the couple got a Ouija board for Christmas.

Via the board, “he asked the demon to scare his girlfriend,” Marcia said.

That maybe backfired, Marcia said. “Anytime somebody read a Bible verse to him, he’d start to freak out and he’d start shaking, like a seizure.”

Marcia reached out to a demonologist in Connecticut for help. There were more twists and turns before the night was over. The pair retold the story during Parafest Maine last summer.

“It’s really nothing like the movies, I can’t explain it really, but movies are fake, let’s put it that way,” he said.

Friday and Saturday’s investigation of the Skowhegan Public Library wasn’t so wild, but it didn’t disappoint.

Marcia said the team was invited in by staff to lead a public ghost hunt after reports of unexplained music and the sound of someone walking on the floor overhead. About 45 people joined Friday night, 20 or so on Saturday night — a nor’easter wasn’t going to keep them from ghost-hunting.

They placed a camera in the attic along with a few bells and a ball and cleared the area.

“I got on the radio and I told (the library director) to watch the attic camera,” he said. “I then asked the spirits that were in the library if they could ring the bells in the attic and as soon as I said that, (the director) got on the walkie and she was kinda freaking out a little and she said the bells were moving in the attic. I wanted to try something new and it was awesome.”

This story originally was published Oct. 31, 2018, as part of the collection “Weird, Wicked Weird: What’s Halloween without a few ghostly Maine tales?“