Southwestern Maine Report:

Maine's Chief Warden Busted
Santaguida resigns immediately

By Jay Wagner

In a recent announcement that is rocking the Maine sporting community, Col. Thomas A. Santaguida, chief of the Maine Warden Service, announced that he is resigning. This became effective immediately.

According to the Department of Marine Resources, Col. Santaguida was found in possession of nine short lobsters along with a legal catch of 54 pounds of lobsters. The alleged violation was discovered during a routine, dock-side inspection on October 24 at Allen’s Seafood in Harpswell.

“I am writing to you with great reluctance to inform you that I will be stepping down as Chief of the Maine Warden Service,” Col. Santaguida wrote in a resignation letter to Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin. “As you know, in addition to my duties as Colonel of the Warden Service I have also been the owner and operator of a lobster boat. Last week, when inspected by Marine Patrol Officers, which is not unusual, I was summonsed for a violation of marine resources laws. I have a commercial fishing background that spans 35 years and I have been subject to many inspections over those years by many fisheries officers and have never had any problem and have had a clean record. This situation was the result of not paying close attention to the task at hand. Nonetheless, I am responsible.”

“Col. Santaguida has a long and distinguished history of service to Maine and to the Warden Service. He’s been an exemplary officer for two decades,” Commissioner Martin said. “But that does not excuse his actions. I agree with Col. Santaguida’s decision to resign. Given the nature of the allegations, it would not be possible for Col. Santaguida to continue to lead the Maine Warden Service. This is the right thing to do to protect the integrity of the Warden Service, which has the duty to enforce Maine law and to protect its natural resources.”

Col. Santaguida was appointed as chief of the Warden Service in 2004. He has been a warden since 1987 and served as major from 1998 until 2004.

As second in command of the Warden Service, Maj. Gregg Sanborn will assume immediate leadership duties pending the appointment of an acting chief or a permanent replacement.

More details will be released as they become available. This is a sad development for the Maine sporting community.

Moose

Every year without fail, local sportsmen will enter the woodlots and forest of Maine with a common goal, seek out the whitetail deer and do our best to harvest one.

While most of us would certainly prefer to take a monster buck, the best of our lifetime, many will take a respectable deer and celebrate the harvest with friends and family.

But before we get into the deer hunting I would like to share a short story about a first time Maine moose hunter.

My brother in-law John Mondello was one of the lucky ones to pull a moose tag this year.

John has been applying for years as a non resident (sound likes most of us) however he moved to North Berwick last year with my sister Teresa. This was the first year John applied as a resident and he scored a bull tag for the Clayton Lake area.

Hunting during the September season proved to be hot and slow going with few bull moose spotted during the earlier part of the week.

John’s guide, Bill, proved to know just where the moose like to call home during the warmer weather and they went looking. Bill was able to call in a small moose on the first day, but the pair passed on this bull and went looking for his bigger brother.

Wednesday morning Bill spotted a bull lying at the edge of a clear cut only a few feet from the woods line. When the bull rose from his bed and started for the woods, John got on target quickly and sent a round from his 300 Weatherby mag into the boiler room.

The moose did not go anywhere and the work began. John has told me that the outfitter and guide are tops and he would suggest that anyone looking for a quality hunt to check them out.

John’s bull went 620 pounds and had eight points, with a mid 30-inch spread. A good quality animal.

Congratulations John on a fine bull, the backstraps were great!!

Jay Wagner is an avid outdoorsman living in York County, Maine. He enjoys hunting and fishing throughout the area with his family, friends and dog Cheeco.