Maine Game Warden Cody Lounder walks through tall grass on Deer Rips Road in Auburn in 2019. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal file
A game warden covering the Lewiston and Auburn area was honored Friday for his work in cracking down on violations during the recent hunting season.
Maine Game Warden Cody Lounder was given a 2022 Exemplary Service Award for “his outstanding work during hunting season in his area.” Lounder issued 23 summonses during the hunting season, according to the Warden Service. He also apprehended a man accused of killing multiple deer illegally after his license had been revoked.
Lounder was among those honored Friday at the warden service’s annual banquet.
Warden Jeff Spencer of Eagle Lake was named Game Warden of the Year at the banquet, at which Gov. Janet Mills was the featured speaker. Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso also addressed the group.
“It is an honor to recognize the outstanding work of those protecting Maine’s natural resources, and protecting those that enjoy them,” Camuso said. “The outstanding work of the men and women in the Maine Warden Service is well known not only in Maine, but beyond our borders as well.”
The awards ceremony gives special recognition to game wardens for exceptional performance over the last year. Awards are given for the Maine Game Warden of the Year, Game Warden Supervisor of the Year, the Legendary Game Warden of the Year, as well as awards for conduct above the normal line of duty, outstanding work that merits special attention, and recognizes individuals and groups who assisted the Maine Warden Service.
“Achievements that were recognized included incidents where human lives were saved,” according to a press release, “and other awards highlighted the conservation of Maine’s fish and wildlife resources in ways deserving of special recognition. The following were recipients of this year’s annual awards.”
Spencer has been a warden for 25 years, beginning his service in the north Maine woods at Escourt Station.
“Over the years, Spencer became well known for his investigative skills, including one case (that) involved a report of three dead moose found near the shores of Little Clayton Lake during the summer,” according to the release. “Spencer worked tirelessly on this case, piecing together small pieces of physical evidence and clues, never stopping when encountering any roadblocks on the case. Spencer’s investigation led him to Tennessee, where he served a search warrant on a Tennessee man, who was convicting for the killing of three moose out of season, and the waste of three moose.
“As a pilot,” the release continues, “Spencer was praised for his search and rescue skills from the air, as well as helping game wardens protect fish and wildlife resources. Spencer has been responsible to for several recent successful search and rescue finds from his aircraft, as well as multiple fish and wildlife cases.”
The 2022 Maine Game Warden Supervisor of the Year award was given to Sgt. Mike Joy of Division E in Ashland. “Mike has been a sergeant in eastern Aroostook County since 2018,” according to the release, “and is well respected by his peers and partners of the agency.”
Others awarded on Friday are:
2022 Legendary Game Warden Award: Retired Game Warden Pat Dorian was honored for an outstanding 34 year career. Dorian began his career in Chamberlain Lake as a district warden, where he tells the story that he let the first fisherman he caught without a license go without a ticket because no one told him how to fill out a summons book when he started.
2022 K9 Search and Rescue of the Year Award: Game Warden Michael Latti and K9 Luna — Limerick/Gorham district: The team was recognized for their work in finding 75-year-old Joseph Nolan of Etna who became lost while going to check his game cameras. The man spent the night in the woods and thought he was not going to make it until he heard the bell attached to Luna who found him and licked him.
2022 K9 Conservation Case of the Year Award: Game Warden Preston Pomerleau and K9 Gordon — Portage Lake district: The team was recognized for their work in solving an illegally shot moose. Gordon located a shell casing near the dead moose, and in interviewing hunters in the area, Pomerleau was able to get a hunter to allow him to check his firearm which had a spent cartridge that the State Police Crime Lab matched to the shell casing.
2022 Meritorious Service Award: Game Warden Troy Dauphinee — Abbott district, and Warden Pilot Nicholas Mangino: The two wardens were recognized for their quick response actions and risking their own lives in rescuing a snowmobiler who they saw break through the ice.
2022 Exemplary Service Awards:
Game Warden Camden Akins, Bar Harbor/ Lamoine district: Akins was recognized for his work in solving an illegal trapping case, that later expanded to other violations including baiting deer and killing deer out of season, as well as illegally trapping on national park lands. The case resulted in six search warrants and 66 summonses.
Game Warden Will Schuman, Damariscotta district: Schuman was recognized for his work in apprehending multiple night hunters, and assisting new game wardens in getting to know their area and helping them apprehend multiple poachers.
Game Warden Mark Hutcheson, Clayton Lake district: Hutcheson was recognized for his work patrolling his district, assisting other agencies, and being a vital part in assisting in the moose survival project and the adaptive moose hunt.
Game Warden Paul Mason, Brownville/Milo district: Mason was recognized for his outstanding work with digital forensic examination equipment and his expertise that let to charges in three night hunting cases, on hunting under the influence, hunting over bait, illegal bear baits, hunting closed season and many others; as well as his work in issuing a summons to someone who used a vehicle to kill a deer.
Game Wardens Ryan Fitzpatrick, Grand Isle/New Sweden district, and Kayle Hamilton, Eagle Lake district: Fitzpatrick and Hamilton were recognized for their work in charging two males with hunting moose during a closed season, hunting moose without a permit, hunting without a valid license, hunting on Sunday, and waste of a wild bird or animal.
Game Warden Corporal Lucas Bellanceau, Fryeburg/Hiram district: Bellanceau was recognized for his valiant efforts to try and save the life of a 9-year-old girl who became trapped in a car after a large tree fell on the car during a severe storm in Standish along the shores of Sebago Lake.
Game Warden Jared Herrick, Bingham/Caratunk district. Herrick was recognized for the apprehension of three night hunters within minutes after hearing four gunshots in a remote portion of the North Maine woods.
Game Warden Investigator Josh Smith, and game wardens Jeremy Judd, Gray district, Harry Wiegman, Turner district, and Mindy Rugg, Rumford district: Recognized for their outstanding work and patience in arresting two poachers and ultimately charging them with 36 violations pertaining two 13 illegally killed deer.
In addition to the above awards, Jeff McGown, the senior manager at Waste Management in Norridgewock was recognized with the Colonel’s Award for his work in helping with Landowner Relations Cleanup Day; Maine State Police Sergeant Scott Bryant was recognized for his work with Maine Game Wardens and incident reconstruction, upgrading equipment and general expertise.
The Maine Warden Service Association also honored MDIFW biologist Kendall Marden with the partnership award, and the Millet Family, Becky Hughes and Cheryl Denz, and Matt and Fred Thurston with Merit Awards.
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