CHESTERVILLE – A member of the Board of Selectmen was arrested Thursday on a failure to appear warrant, out of Franklin Unified Court, referencing a misdemeanor charge relating to an alleged bad check case.
Tiffany Estabrook, 40, of Chesterville, was arrested on a failure to appear warrant on Thursday, April 26, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Keith Madore. According to the Franklin County Detention Center, the warrant relates to a negotiating a worthless instrument charge, a misdemeanor, that was brought against Estabrook back in January.
According to a complaint filed in the Franklin Unified Court, Estabrook was charged via a summons by the Farmington Police Department in relation to a $260 check issued to C.N. Brown that did not allegedly clear. According to FPD office manager Bonnie Pomeroy, the company contacted police after attempts by C.N. Brown to contract Estabrook about the check were reportedly unsuccessful. Officer Ryan Rosie located Estabrook and issued the summons, Pomeroy said. The complaint indicated that an arraignment proceeding was scheduled for April 24.
Estabrook reportedly did not attend the April 24 proceeding and a warrant for her arrest was subsequently issued. According to Sheriff Scott Nichols, Estabrook told Deputy Madore that she had paid the $260 bill to C.N. Brown and had therefore thought that she no longer needed to appear in court on April 24.
“I think it was a miscommunication,” Nichols said Tuesday. “I think she assumed when she paid the bill she wouldn’t have to appear in court.” However, Nichols said, the summons and its associated court date had already been issued.
Estabrook was arrested on April 26 and released that same day on $260 cash bail.
Estabrook serves on the Board of Selectmen in Chesterville, having been initially elected in 2016. She is also on the nine-member Franklin County Budget Committee, as one of three selectmen from Commission District 2.
Grasping for news stories?
This is not news. Cases like this happen all the time. The only reason police issue a summons is to force the person to pay. Then if they have paid by the time it goes to court they dismiss the charges.
that seems totally unnecessary arrest and waist of time and money
I think this is just so totally unnecessary to drag this poor woman’s personal petty business misunderstandings through the town news that everybody in these surrounding towns reads. She didn’t shoot anybody or get in a car wreck or rob a bank. So she got arrested for writing one bad check and you advertise it here ? Is it because she is a public figure? Everybody involved in this should be ashamed of themselves. And we go to church why? Do unto others as you would have them etc……….
I do not know Tiffany, nor do I live in Chesterville. With that said, posting this story seems a little underhanded by the staff of the Bulldog in light of current events. I know of doctors and well known business owners who were slapped with DUI’s in the past year, and I’m pretty sure their dirty laundry wasn’t posted as the top story. Include this in regular arrest reports where it belongs. Jornalistic objectivity is lost at the DB.
When a person holds public office or other positions that are in the publics eye, they must expect great scrutiny both for their actions at home and at the “office”, and rightfully so. The people we elect should know that the public is watching them, and that their actions, whether personal or public, speak for the constituents they represent.
I would think that the company and the courts have gone to great lengths to get Ms. Estabrook to pay, and that she did not pay attention to the part of the summons that says something like “FAILURE TO APPEAR BEFORE THE COURT ON THE DATES NOTED ABOVE WILL RESULT IN A WARRANT FOR YOUR ARREST”.
Hopefully she is more diligent with the town affairs than her own, and this should serve as a reminder for all that hold public office, we are watching you!
Agree with all the above. The Daily Bulldog is becoming the commenter rather than the publisher!
While I agree that this isn’t really exciting news… you do not get arrested for a bad check. You get arrested when your bad check problem is avoided over time. To reach the point where a warrant is issued means you have not only avoided dealing with the company that you wrote the bad check to, ignored their calls and not made contact yourself, but you’ve also skipped the court date to address your bad check writing.
well said scooter and guy !
It is quite understandable why a Chesterville resident would bounce a check considering what they pay in taxes. Also I agree with Guy, I know of several arrests and incidents swept under the rug in the past few years of ‘prominent’ citizens that never made headlines. An article like this is totally uncalled for no matter whose team you’re on.
DB, where is your political correctness? In Wilton a lady holding this position is a ‘selectperson’…
Agreed mr planet
Daily Bulldog has hit the bottom. This isn’t news. There aren’t enough stories to warrant the “scroll over” arrows.
You put a mugshot of this woman on your page and call it “news”. What you did was publicly humiliate her. I’m disgusted with the DB. Her bounced check, and Nichols OPINION of what happened, isn’t relevant to anyone here..
Why is the BD getting flack for printing this? Have you looked at the Sun Journal or the Morning Sentinel?? The Sun Journal ran the story before the BD. If you can do a better job at deciding what is newsworthy and what is not…maybe you should be working for the newspaper.
A LOT OF WHYS TO THIS ONE! Being a public servant? Her part in restructuring the school board? If for lack of news, pretty sad, lowdown. Many other subjects could have been used here. Hold your head high TIF, a lot of people in high places in these communities have done more and worse than this oversight on your part!!!
I agree with Nate!
i agree with Nate. When a person holds a public office you shouldn’t be doing this stuff.
My take from this: I learned something! I’d very likely have made the same mistake she did. Now if that happens, I’ll know not to assume paying makes the court date go away. I forgot to pay my sewer bill in December and was shocked to get a past due notice (which I’ve now paid). Something like this can happen to anyone.
Of course the Bulldog will cover this (as did other papers) – public servants get scrutiny. But it’s a shame if people glance at the headline and get the wrong impression that she’s involved in illegal acts. It clearly was a misunderstanding.
As an amateur journalist (I don’t even know if that’s a term, but whatever), I understand that the Daily Bulldog Editorial staff has the right to publish what it wants. The sun journal has also posted a similar story, and there’s only one comment there. The news has the right to publish what it wants, that’s how journalism works, and is meant to work. They could even publish that Jon Smith got a speeding ticket. Especially considering that this person of well known in the community and holds an important position as a select person, they decided it was newsworthy enough to report. She had a court date and missed it, plain and simple. If you ignore all the other issues here (how she paid already), there was still a court date and she missed it. That’s why it’s important that this be reported in the news. If the Chesterville selectman miss important court dates, who knows what gets overlooked in Chesterville.
Seriously… Wow. Nothing exciting to report so u drag a good woman through the mud… u all should be ashamed!
If a Police Officer was charged with a midsdemeanor I don’t think anyone would mind the DB posting this article. In fact the comments would be very different I’m sure. Yet this town official who in most towns would be overseeing the Police/Fire Dept, is somehow not required to play by the rules? It’s unfortunate but stop pretending that she is your mail carrier and not the Selectman in your town!
BullDog isn’t the only one that reported it..
https://www.centralmaine.com/2018/05/01/chesterville-selectman-charged-with-failure-to-appear-in-check-case/
I agree with Scott Erb. Most people who have never had to go to court could easily make the same mistake. She was told it had been taken care of. I wouldn’t have gone to court at that point either. I find it amazing that anyone has an issue with a selectperson bouncing a check and needing to set high standards when many elected officials in our federal government are currently being sued for far worse things.😒 I guess it’s easier to forgive wealthy people in our society. God forbid anyone should get behind on the oil bill living in an old house during Maine winters. This is not newsworthy imo. A personal issue that has nothing to do with her position or ability to work for the town. How quickly some forget how much this woman has gone above and beyond to keep the town running during times of crisis. Shame on anyone who finds this amusing.
Elected or appointed officials are held to a higher standard by the public, until it comes to compensation or benefits.
Really makes you want to work for your town, she did not take anything from the town so until she does, let’s just stop all the accusations and stay a good town with good neighbors, geeesh…
If it were an ordinary person who was kiting bad checks and who also gets posted by the Bulldog as they have done many times prior, all of you haters would be calling for a harsh punishment and dragging them through their own poop. She ignored a court date, a warrant was issued, just like the same would be done for anybody, she wasn’t treated differently than anybody else. Get over it.
It’s not an oversight or forgot to pay a bill..She wrote them a bad check and refused to make good on it..She stiffed them. Maybe Tiffany can look into overdraft protection on her checking account. Better then paying a 35.00 fee if you bounce a check!
She made a mistake she paid c n brown the money that was bounced and didn’t understand that she still had to go to court. That is not news worthy and its not necessary to. Had the story been different like she never paid back missed her court date and and has history of this then that’s another story. We all make mistakes with bills. My name should of been on DB many times if missing bills is a crime! PATHETIC!
I find it ironic that this particular select-person has, on numerous occasions, brought the personal finances of others during public hearings of the budget committee of the county commissioners but when the shoe is on the other foot and people know her business it is frowned upon. Perhaps we should think of who we elect a bit more closely.
What next? Put her in the stocks and throw rotten eggs at her? Tar and feather her? Send her to debtor’s prison? Having accidentally written a couple of rubber checks myself in my 64 years, I feel sorry for her.
lol deceptive practice is a crime its just like stealing, I don’t care how nice you are a crime is a crime plus she in some sort of office witch I think its important to expose there lives .GREAT JOB DAILY BULLDOG FOR BRINGING A PERSON IN PUBLIC OFFICE TO BE KNOWN ITS THE OTHER PAPERS THAT ARE SLACKING
Lets get back to that “Odor Patrol” council that was formed for Farmington. It was a pretty popular subject.
All that chicken poop is thawed and smells really bad!! Something needs to be done!! The council is formed! Do your duty!!
MY tax money needs to be used is such a way.
That’s News Worthy
How about that pls read what’s put in writing as of now keep up with the program pls