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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 148, No. 39
28 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
September 28, 2017
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 4D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
‘I needed to tell this story’ Author returns for Bridgton signing
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer She was just 12 years old when her sleep was broken on a misty May night to the sound of a heated argument, and then the unforgettable, “No!” Minutes later, the little girl bravely opened her bedroom door and found her mother on the floor. She did not move. There was blood, everywhere. Desperate to help her mother, the little girl ran nearly a mile barefoot, in the rain, in complete darkness, stopping at three homes only to be ignored. Finally, she found safety at a restaurant, and police were notified. It was 1994. Bridgton awoke that morning to the startling news that a young woman — Crystal Perry — had been stabbed to death inside her Sweden Home ranch home. Immediately, questions swirled. But, the one question that would baffle investigators for over a decade was, “Who could have committed such a heinous act?” Ultimately, the murderer was identified — Michael Hutchinson, a local man who continued to live in Bridgton for 12 years. He is now serving a life sentence. Whatever happened to the little girl — Crystal’s daughter, Sarah? Today, Sarah is 35 years old. This week, she saw a seven-year project become a reality — the public release of her book, After the Eclipse: A Mother’s Murder, A Daughter’s Search. To mark the release of the book, Sarah will return to
If I tried to talk about Mom and her death, people were often shocked into silence. Or, they would say insensitive things because they couldn’t incorporate this dramatic fact into their reality. I learned to seek out people who could handle hearing uncomfortable truths, who wouldn’t feel repelled by or AUTHOR Sarah Perry scared of me because I had has filled in many blanks gone through this terrible left by the tragic death thing.
of her mother in her first novel.
Bridgton on Wednesday, Oct. 18 to hold a special book signing, as well as a reading and Q&A session at the Magic Lantern. While the conviction of Michael Hutchinson answered one question, Sarah discovered she had many more questions regarding her mother’s life, not just those final horrific hours. With her mother gone, Sarah sought to piece together through interviews with friends and family members just who Crystal was. The picture wasn’t always pretty. Crystal had a difficult upbringing, yet always dreamed of finding a true love. Several personal relationships were marred by heated arguments and failed, but Crystal — who worked at the Sebago Moc plant, which was on the site of the current Hannaford grocery store — always remained upbeat and determined to carve out a better life for herself and her
young daughter, Sarah. Two days before Crystal was murdered, Sarah saw a partial eclipse of the sun. She thought it was a sign of good things to come for her and her mother. Instead, the wish for a better life was silenced when a stranger to Sarah entered the Route 93 home and stole her mother’s life. Sarah’s dream was to become a writer. “While growing up in Bridgton, I had dreams of becoming a writer. The Bridgton Library was a great resource, and my teachers were really supportive and encouraged me to write stories. And we had Stephen King nearby, so I had some idea of what it meant to be a published writer. That dream was disrupted by Mom’s death; imagination was no longer fun or safe,” wrote Sarah in an e-mail interview with The News. “But eventually, after the trial, I knew
I needed to tell this story. It was the story that I was compelled to tell before I could work on anything else. I wanted to create a memorial for Mom — something that focused on her life as much as (if not more than) her tragic death. I also wanted to make connections between everyday sexism and aggression and the more extreme violence that many women face. If we don’t eradicate this idea that women are less important than men, that they don’t have a right to their own bodies, these crimes will never stop happening.” Sarah earned a master’s degree in nonfiction from Columbia University and received two notable writers’ fellowships. She now resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. and graciously answered the following questions posed by The News (these questions were sent prior to the BN having the opportunity to read the advanced reading copy sent to the newspaper): BN. What led you to pursue a career as a writer? Sarah: From a very early age, I loved reading. It’s important to read as much as possible if you want to be a writer. Stories can serve not only as entertainment, but as tools for empathy and understanding. I wanted to harness that power. I also just always loved language — the pleasure of manipulating words, sentence structure and rhythm, and other craft elements to achieve different effects. BN: For those residents here in Bridgton and the Lake BOOK, Page 2A
After the Eclipse: A Mother’s Murder, A Daughter’s Search 347 pages Publication date: Sept. 26, 2017 Sarah’s visit to Bridgton Author Sarah Perry will read portions of her first novel and hold a question-answer session on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at the Magic Lantern Theater in Bridgton at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. Copies of the book can be purchased at Bridgton Books (Main Street) for $27 plus tax, which entitles the buyer to attend Perry’s talk and have their book signed. Space at the Magic Lantern is limited, so purchase your copy as soon as possible. What some reviewers’ said… • Sarah Perry does a remarkable job recounting the harrowing tale of her mother’s murder and the long wait to find her killer. It is obvious this book has been thoroughly researched and painstakingly recounted, and while Sarah’s love for her mother clearly comes through, she does not let it alter the facts of the case. This is an important book that reminds the reader that social class, race, or gender should never affect how a crime is portrayed or perceived, and how each violent crime we read or hear about as we quickly EXCERPTS, Page 2A
Park, beach hours adjusted following complaints By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Those of you who enjoy a hike or fishing under the glow of moonlight will be able to do so in Bridgton without legal repercussions. A “dawn to dusk” policy change this summer to limit public access to beaches and parks resulted in “some confusion” in regards to the intent and safety concerns raised by town department heads, which pushed for the curfew. Some walkers voiced their displeasure of not being allowed to access parks after dusk. Tuesday, selectmen approved new time limits. These hours of use take effect once appropriate signage is
in place: • Dawn to dusk would apply to the following town beaches: Woods Pond Beach, Highland Lake Beach, Plummers Landing Beach and Salmon Point Beach. • Dawn to dusk would apply to these town parks: Skateboard area (off Depot Street), Willis Park, Sandy Creek Park, Perry Park, Farragut Park and Town Common. • 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Harmon Field, Pondicherry Park and Sabatis Island. • No hourly restrictions: Kramer’s Landing (boat launch at Highland Lake), Moose Pond boat landing, Woods Pond boat landing, Shorey Park, Veteran’s Park
and Dam Park. Town Manager Robert Peabody pointed out that Harmon Field’s time was extended to 10 p.m. due to tournaments held there, and he noted that a number of people walk Pondicherry Park at all hours of the night, as caught on surveillance cameras. “We’re doing our best to accommodate everyone’s needs,” he said. In other selectmen’s meeting business: • Creating a Memorial School plan. When Board Chairman Greg Watkins had a conversation with SAD 61 Superintendent of Schools Al Smith regarding the future of the Bridgton Memorial
School property, the general feel was it’s time to move on the issue. A key will be what Bridgton might want to do at the school site. SAD 61 likely wants to turn the school over to the town as long as its use poses no safety dangers to children. One use could involve trains. Through his monitoring of the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, Peter Lowell made a connection with an individual in Boothbay, who has Bridgton stock engine cars, as well as other memorabilia material, and would like to return it here. “The equipment is in great condition,” Lowell told
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — It would not be the first time that the residents and town officials of Casco tried to address the dangerous intersection at Routes 11 and 121. It has been a serious problem for decades. The state transportation department has offered a solution: A four-way stop to replace the yellow blinking lights. On Tuesday night, the Casco Board of Selectmen held a public hearing to discuss this potential solution. The half-dozen residents who testified were against the solution proposed by the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT). The reasons cited were: confusion for drivers, more backed
up traffic at the busy intersection, and increased noise from commercial trucks braking and getting back into gear. Those who spoke were against the plan. However, locals suggested more signage and possibly rumble strips to truly get drivers to slow down prior to coming to the proposed four-way stop. Residents attested to how dangerous the intersection is. Jay Greeley, the co-owner of Kindred Farms Bakery & Market, said speeding was a behavior that contributed to accidents and safety concerns. “I don’t have a specific solution. Nobody goes 45 mph through there,” he said. “I invite anyone to come down, sit on our deck and just see for 10 minutes. Everyone is speeding or doing the roll-
ing stop.” “We have a front row seat. It is a dangerous intersection,” he said. “When the accident with the trooper happened, we were in Westbrook. Five people called us to see if we were alright — they thought he ran his cruiser into the bakery building,” Greeley said. “I don’t know if they were worried about us or our product,” he quipped. Recently, MDOT representatives and road engineers met with the selectmen. This meeting gave board members some insight as to why a full traffic signal was not an option. At this point, the actual costs have not been calculated. Those will be addressed during the board’s Oct. 17 meeting.
Selectman Grant Plummer explained his take on the intersection after meeting with MDOT. “I walked into that meeting thinking about that intersection. I drive through it several times a day since I live on the Casco-Poland line,” he said. “People don’t understand what is happening. ‘Double yellow — what am I supposed to do?” “Listening to the MDOT engineers, it was very insightful. It was based on science, data,” Plummer said. “The safest [solution] is a four-way stop. There isn’t enough traffic for a traffic signal — the green, yellow, red lights. If you don’t have enough volume of traffic, people will take advantage of” a traffic signal, he said. 4-WAY STOP, Page 5A
Casco considers 4-way stop
selectmen. “Maybe the structure (Bridgton Memorial) could be a museum display space.” Selectman Bear Zaidman suggested that the next step be a community workshop, bringing in various groups from Community
Development Committee members, the town’s Community Development Director Audrey Knight, and possibly developers, who might have a few ideas of what could be done there. Peabody said now could be BRIDGTON, Page 8A
Fires spark call for public’s help
Bridgton has a fire bug problem. Chief of Police Richard Stillman is seeking the public’s help with watching for suspicious activity after four separate fires were sparked early Tuesday morning. The first fire was discovered at 2:19 a.m. at Highland Lake Beach, which resulted in the total loss of the lifeguard station, including all of the equipment stored for the season. Fires were also set to porta-potties located behind Bridgton Books, Stevens Brook Elementary School and Junior Harmon Field. The state’s fire marshal investigated the fire scenes. If anyone saw suspicious activity or have surveillance cameras which may have picked up individuals in these areas during Tuesday’s early morning hours, please contact the Bridgton Police Department at 647-8814. “Arson is a serious crime and will not be tolerated,” read Deputy Town Manager Georgiann Fleck during her report to the Bridgton Board of Selectmen. “Further, taxpayers’ money is spent to improve and beautify the town with various departments maintaining the infrastructure during the best and worst of weather conditions, only to have it heinously and needlessly destroyed. We are asking that the public be vigilant and assist in any way possible to prevent further destruction of our town’s amenities by reporting any suspicious activity to the Bridgton Police Department immediately.”
The Bridgton News Established 1870
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