MAINE -- A Canton man who owns two pit bulls faces multiple charges in connection with an attack on a llama last Friday in Monmouth.
Following two days of searching by police, sheriff's deputies and animal control officers, Corey LaMontagne, 33, of Route 108 was charged Tuesday with two counts each of owning a dangerous dog, having unlicensed dogs and having dogs at large.
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| Abra, a 20-year-old llama at Snafu Acres in Monmouth, is recovering from injuries after he was attacked by pit bulls. |
LaMontagne was being held at the Androscoggin County Jail on an unrelated warrant when he confessed, said Michael Costello, Monmouth's animal control officer.
"He turned around and admitted the whole thing," Costello said.
LaMontagne told police that he was visiting a friend last Friday in Monmouth when the two dogs ran loose and attacked the llama at Snafu Acres Farm on Tillson Road.
OWNER FLED WITH PIT BULLS AFTER ATTACK
Farm owner Ivan Smith witnessed part of the attack. He saw the dogs run to an SUV that drove off.
Costello spent most of Monday and Tuesday trying to find the dogs and their owner, he said. Police officers in Monmouth and Winthrop helped. So did the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office and Wendell Strout, Lewiston-Auburn's animal control officer.
Smith's description of the dogs — one blue-tinted, one black and white — helped authorities find their veterinarian and connect with LaMontagne.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 16.
Until then, he is required to call Costello before leaving home. If he leaves with the dogs, they must be leashed and muzzled at all times, Costello said.
Because he fled with the attack dogs and tried to hide, he shouldn't have been allowed to keep them. Clearly, he is an irresponsible moron.
Ivan Smith's wife, Nancy, said she was grateful that LaMontagne was found.
"We are both relieved that the dogs won't be back," she said.
She has been heartened by the recovery of the llama, named Abra.
The 20-year-old llama's first nights and days after the attack were rough. He suffered puncture wounds and tears to his lips, ears, nose and neck. In some places, the wounds tore deep enough to reach cartilage.
On Thursday, he was home in his pen. His wounds were largely hidden by a thick, brown coat of fleece.
"I think his coat played down the amount of blood that was there," Nancy Smith said. But he is feeling better. "His breathing is much better today."
His condition has been followed on Facebook, where he has more than 150 friends, Smith said.
"People have been genuinely concerned about Abra," she said.
(Lewiston Sun Journal - Jan 7, 2011)
Earlier:
Related:Corey Lamontagne had $15,000 worth of crack and heroin, police say
Already saddled with accusations of drug dealing and tractor theft, a local man was arrested over the weekend after drug agents searched his home and said they found $15,000 worth of cocaine and heroin.
Corey Lamontagne, 34, of 2 North Mountain Road, was arrested on charges of drug trafficking, aggravated trafficking and violating conditions of release.
Maine Drug Enforcement agents have been investigating what they describe as a large drug distribution ring operating across Androscoggin County. As part of that investigation, agents and Maine State Police troopers went to Lamontagne’s home early Sunday morning.
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| Corey Lamontagne |
A search of the home and outbuildings uncovered more than a hundred grams of cocaine and 40 grams of heroin, according to MDEA Supervisor Matt Cashman. Lamontagne, who was home at the time of the search, was arrested and jailed.
It was not the first time he has had such an experience. Lamontagne’s criminal history is extensive, including convictions for cocaine dealing in 2000 and 2002.
Two years ago, he ran into trouble when his two pit bulls attacked a 20-year-old llama at the Snafu Acres Farm on Tillson Road.
Police say Lamontagne’s legal woes continued in April when he stole a tractor from Wallingford Machinery in Auburn. Investigators say his plan was foiled when he tried to sell the Kubota tractor to undercover drug agents.
Lamontagne was charged with theft when he rode the tractor out of the woods wearing a backpack police say was full of drugs, which were later tested at the state health lab in Augusta.
It was determined that Lamontagne had been carrying 22 grams of cocaine, 14 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, 58 Ecstasy tablets, 375 tabs of methadone and 76 of the painkiller Dilaudid, investigators said.
Lamontagne was charged with drug offenses when he went to court on the matter of the stolen tractor. He was free on bail over the weekend when agents searched his home and arrested him once again. By Tuesday, he remained jailed on $10,000 bail.
On the latest charges against him, Lamontagne is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 2.
