District Attorney's Office
The Piscataquis County Office of the District Attorney located in the Piscataquis Shiretown of Dover-Foxcroft, is part of Prosecutorial District #5 which encumbers Piscataquis and Penobscot Counties. The office is located at 159 East Main Street in the Piscataquis County Superior Court building. The Penobscot County Office of the District Attorney is located at the Penobscot County Courthouse, 97 Hammond Street, Bangor, Maine.
The District Attorney’s Office for Prosecutorial District #5 is comprised of the District Attorney, one Deputy District Attorney, seven full-time Assistant District Attorneys, plus support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of criminal cases, civil violations, traffic infractions and juvenile cases in four District Courts in Penobscot County and one District Court in Piscataquis County. These courts are located in Newport, Bangor, Lincoln, Millinocket and Dover-Foxcroft. We are also responsible for the prosecution of criminal cases in the two Superior Courts that are located in Bangor and Dover-Foxcroft. The District Attorney’s Office serves approximately 30 law enforcement agencies throughout the two-county Prosecutorial District.
Dover-Foxcroft District Court arraignments and trials are held in Dover-Foxcroft every Monday, excluding holidays, and at other times if ordered by the Court. In the Piscataquis County Superior Court, the Piscataquis County Grand Jury meets in January & June of each year, and considers between 10 & 12 cases each session. The traverse jury meets sporadically throughout the year for periods of 1-2 weeks at a time. The District Attorney also has the responsibility of giving legal counsel to the County Commissioners.
The District Attorney’s Office operates a program of victim assistance that is designed to provide information and support for victims and witnesses who become involved with the criminal justice system. There are 3 full-time and 1 part-time victim advocates in the Bangor Office and 1 full-time victim advocate in the Dover Office, who also assists in the Newport District Court. This office collects restitution for victims of crime. Just in Piscataquis County alone, approximately $30,000.00 to $33,000.00 in restitution is collected during a year. The Victim-Witness Advocates work extensively with child abuse and domestic violence cases and are also involved in community out-reach programs. In addition to often meeting with victims and witnesses before the court date, they have arranged an on-call system to minimize the number of necessary court appearances.
The District Attorney’s Office has also undertaken a program of child abuse investigation involving the local police departments, the State Police, and the two County Sheriff’s Departments. Cases of child abuse, both sexual abuse and physical abuse, are assigned through this office. The District Attorney’s Office works closely with the Department of Human Services and other professional groups when dealing with cases of this nature.
In December of 1999, the District Attorney’s Office received a one year Federal Grant for S*T*O*P Violence Against Women through the Maine Justice Assistance Council for fiscal year 2000. This enabled us to hire an Investigator/Trial Assistant to assist our office and the various local law enforcement agencies to seek out additional witnesses, medical evidence and review 911 tapes. The investigator also enables us to keep better check on the safety of victims and to monitor defendants for bail compliance. Today, this position is funded entirely by Piscataquis County.
The District Attorney’s Office reviews all complaints for A, B, C & D crimes, and some Class E crimes before arraignment in an attempt to eliminate non-provable cases and cases that do not warrant further prosecution. A tremendous portion of the office’s resources, both clerical and legal, is devoted to screening cases and providing pre-trial discovery and investigation. From time to time the office provides training to law enforcement education programs.
In Piscataquis County alone, we prosecute approximately 1,000 adult criminal and juvenile cases in the District and Superior Courts. In addition to this, we prosecute approximately 300 civil violations, and 100 traffic infractions that are returned from the Violations Bureau to District Court for trial. Although, the District Courts dispose of a large majority of their cases without the participation of the District Attorney’s Office, if any of the cases go to trial, the District Attorney’s Office prepares the cases and presents them for trial.
The public is always welcome to attend court sessions to observe the judicial system at work.
Contact Information
Piscataquis County District Attorney's Office
159 E. Main St.
Dover-Foxcroft, Maine 04426
Phone: (207) 564-2181
Fax: (207) 564-6503
District Attorney R. Christopher Almy
Elected November, 2006. Term expires December 31, 2010.
Administrative Assistant Elaine Roberts
Clerk Specialist Paralegal Corina Tibbetts