Boothbay Harbor business owner Don Kingsbury has pleaded “not guilty” to two charges in Lincoln County Superior Court, according to court documents. Kingsbury faces the charges after controversial web posts directed at the Boothbay Harbor Planning Board; he had an arraignment scheduled July 11.

According to Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Doug Snyder, police investigated a complaint that Kingsbury had potentially made threats. Snyder said Kingsbury faced one charge of terrorizing, brought forth by individuals, and one charge of improper influence. Snyder added the department chose to deliver a summons because he did not feel there were imminent threats. According to court documents, the Class D offenses allegedly occurred around April 13, and Kingsbury’s lawyer filed a “not guilty” plea to all charges May 21. A trial date has not been set.

The Register contacted Kingsbury’s lawyer and the assistant district attorney but did not receive a response. Kingsbury declined to speak to the Register. 

The conflict stemmed from an application to the planning board for renovations to a building owned by Kingsbury and his wife. The application was later withdrawn, according to Planning Board Chair Tom Minerich.  

At a planning board meeting April 10, the board informed the applicants, including Kingsbury’s wife, the submitted paperwork was incomplete and the board recommended refiling. Following the meeting, Kingsbury allegedly made several posts online that board members, including Minerich and Merritt Blakeslee, said they found insulting to the planning board and town, and one that they considered a threat. 

Some posts were made on Don Kingsbury’s now removed paid spot in the Register for his business, Two Salty Dogs. According to Editor Kevin Burnham, the language and posts violated company standards and Kingsbury's permissions on the Register were revoked. Kingsbury then created his own personal blog, the focus of the charges and the perceived threat. As of publication, the blog was still live. 

In the May blog, Kingsbury recounted events from his perspective and made an apology. “When I calmed down and got over the visions of my wife being humiliated in public, I tried to think of the whole situation from the Planning Board's point of view. I am ashamed to report that I deeply regret my previous actions, and I apologize to the Boothbay Harbor Planning Board and Boothbay Register unreservedly,” the blog reads.  

The blog describes an alternate business plan staffed by a fictional employee, Adrienne. The final paragraph alludes to drug use amongst the planning board. It concludes saying that if any board members become addicted to drugs, “Adrienne and I will do our best to buy your allegiance with hard cold cash until you overstep your bounds and Adrienne sees fit to blow your head off like in an episode of Breaking Bad.” 

The paragraph is accompanied by a photograph of a woman holding cash and pointing a gun at the camera.  

“What strikes me about the piece that we're concerned with is that it begins, and it tells a coherent, mildly humorous, narrative until the very end,” Blakeslee said about the post. “... Suddenly, it’s talking about fentanyl, it’s talking about cocaine, and it’s talking about blowing your brains out. That, to me, is a sign of some irrationality.” 

At the following planning board meeting, May 8, most of the board members recused themselves on the application, prohibiting a quorum. Minerich, Blakeslee, Ronald Cohen, Jon Dunsford and alternate Lisa Toll recused themselves. Lee Corbin and David Cody did not.   

Minerich said he and others decided to recuse themselves on the grounds they could not make an impartial decision. Minerich cited the language in the Register and blog post and said “there is a post online that I consider a threat towards myself and others.”   

Blakeslee told the Register that what he saw as a threat and insults made it “impossible for me to rule objectively on the application.” He added that the nature of the language, from someone he did not know before the conflict, concerned him. He said he saw events in the context of the Lewiston tragedy where erratic behavior was not addressed early enough to prevent harm. 

“I believe that I had to, for myself, my family, and my colleagues, take this threat seriously. It's easy to laugh off. There is some humor in there ... you could laugh it off. But I think, in light of Lewiston, in light of this, the way that you get to the threat is through this disconnect in the narrative (which) is what I see as a danger sign.”