Local man summonsed for improper moose disposal
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — A man who claimed a moose following an accident June 1 now has a court date after he reportedly dumped the moose at Hanson Lake.
Officer Brian McQuarrie of the Presque Isle Police Department responded to the report of a moose-car collision on the Caribou Road around 11:19 p.m. June 1 involving Derrell Richardson, 23, of Presque Isle. Richardson was uninjured and his vehicle sustained minimal damage. The driver did not want the moose, so it was given to another Presque Isle man, identified as Ricardo Luciano.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
A MOOSE that was struck by a car on the Caribou Road June 1 was improperly disposed of the next day by the Presque Isle man who claimed it, Ricardo Luciano, who dumped the animal at the parking lot adjacent to the public landing at Hanson Lake, just a short distance from the airport. Luciano was summonsed for the cost of properly disposing of the animal.
According to the police log, Luciano called the PIPD shortly after midnight indicating he thought he knew a butcher to take the moose to but that the person wasn’t available. He told police he didn’t have any other resources and wanted to know what to do with the animal. McQuarrie advised the man he’d have to find someone to give it to or he’d have to dispose of it properly. Luciano was then advised to contact the Maine Warden Service on how to dispose of the animal.
Disposal of the moose became a game warden problem by mid-morning on June 2, however, when the carcass was found at the parking area at Hanson Lake.
“The moose had been struck by a vehicle on Route 1 around 11 p.m. on June 1. The operator did not want the animal, so he gave it to Ricardo Luciano,” said Game Warden Alan Dudley. “He could not find anyone to help process the animal, so the moose was left at Hanson Lake at the public landing.”
At Dudley’s request, the Presque Isle Public Works Department removed the carrion.
“The town removed the animal, which caused some expense, since the animal had to be hauled to Mapleton to be disposed of,” said Dudley. “I summonsed Luciano later in the day and will be asking the district attorney for restitution to the town.”
