News

Maine inmate held in solitary for nearly 2 years settles lawsuit

Maine inmate held in solitary for nearly 2 years settles lawsuit

Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio


AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) A Maine State Prison inmate has settled a lawsuit against the state Department of Corrections for the nearly two years he spent in solitary confinement.

Maine Public Radio reports that under an unusual settlement, Doug Burr’s attorney fees will be paid, disciplinary officers will receive training and no person will spend more than 30 days in solitary without approval from the department commissioner.

Burr, who is serving a 59-year sentence for murder, was accused of trafficking drugs with the help of his wife and spent 22 months in an 8-by-10 foot cell without any evidence presented against him.

Latest Headlines

21 minutes ago in Local

Arrest related to South Portland shooting prompts lockdown at Gorham schools

Fresh

Gorham schools were placed in "secure status" on Thursday while police made an arrest nearby as part of a shooting investigation.

33 minutes ago in Local

Acadia National Park to remain mostly operational amid government shutdown

Fresh

The popular Cadillac Summit Road at Acadia National Park will be closed to motor vehicles as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown.

8 hours ago in Local

Westbrook Police Seek Help To Locate Missing Woman

She is known to frequent the Westbrook and Portland area.

9 hours ago in National, Trending

Trump uses government shutdown to dole out firings and punishment

President Donald Trump has seized on the government shutdown as an opportunity to reshape the federal workforce and punish detractors, by threatening mass firings of workers and suggesting "irreversible" cuts to programs important to Democrats.

9 hours ago in National, Trending

Delta jets have a ‘low-speed collision’ on LaGuardia taxiway, injuring 1

Two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided on the taxiway at LaGuardia Airport in New York, injuring a flight attendant, damaging a cockpit and tearing off part of a wing in what the airline described as a "low-speed collision."