AUGUSTA, Maine - Hunting is prohibited in an area of Somerset County, as police continue to comb the woods in search of a man suspected of killing a Somerset County police officer. The emergency proclamation comes via executive order from Governor Paul LePage.
Elsewhere, Saturday is a special day of youth hunting for wild turkeys. That event will not happen in areas around Norridgewock, Fairfield, and Skowhegan.
Monday marks the start of the regular wild turkey hunting season, but the hunting ban will remain in effect in those areas until further notice.
"Considering the ongoing manhunt in that area, a heavy police presence remains and will continue until the suspect is apprehended." LePage said on Friday. "The activities associated with hunting may trigger residents to report suspicious activity and cause an unnecessary police response."
A multi-agency manhunt has been going on since Wednesday morning, when Somerset County Corporal Eugene Cole was shot and killed at a home in Norridgewock. Since that time, authorities have been searching for a man identified as John Daniel Williams, of Madison Maine, who is a suspect in the case.
As of Saturday morning, the search goes on.
A copy of the order with a downloadable map of the areas affected by the hunting ban can be found here.
