§8907. Forest service citation form

1.  Form.  The Director of the Bureau of Forestry, referred to in this section as the "director," shall designate the Uniform Summons and Complaint as the citation form to be used by the Maine Forest Service, except that the director may permit the use of any citation forms approved by the Chief Judge of the District Court before May 1, 1991 that are in current stock as of May 1, 1991 until those stocks are depleted.

[PL 1991, c. 459, §3 (RPR); PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §7 (REV); PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23 (REV).]

2.  Citation books.  The director is responsible for any forms approved by the Chief Judge of the District Court prior to May 1, 1991. The director may provide citation books to other law enforcement agencies and officers for their use in the enforcement of chapters 807 and 809. The director may not require other agencies to use this form. The Department of Public Safety is responsible for all Uniform Summons and Complaints issued to the Maine Forest Service. The director or the director's designee is responsible for the further issuance of Uniform Summons and Complaint books to individual law enforcement officers and for the proper disposition of those books.

[PL 1991, c. 459, §3 (RPR).]

3.  Disposition; prohibited act.  It is unlawful and official misconduct for any forest ranger or other public employee to dispose of an official citation form or Uniform Summons and Complaint except in accordance with law and as provided for in an applicable official policy or procedure of the Maine Forest Service.

[PL 1991, c. 459, §3 (RPR).]

4.  Lawful complaint.  A Maine Forest Service citation form or a Uniform Summons and Complaint may be filed in a court having jurisdiction and constitutes a lawful complaint to commence any criminal prosecution or civil violation proceeding if the form or Uniform Summons and Complaint is duly sworn to as required by law and otherwise legally sufficient in respect to the form of a complaint and charging an offense.

[PL 1991, c. 459, §3 (RPR).]

5.  Lawful summons.  A Maine Forest Service citation or a Uniform Summons and Complaint, when served upon a person by a law enforcement officer, functions as a summons to appear in court. Any person who fails to appear in court after having been served with a summons commits a Class E crime. Upon that person's failure to appear, the court may issue a warrant of arrest. It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this subsection that the failure to appear resulted from just cause.

A.   [PL 1991, c. 459, §3 (RP).]

B.   [PL 1991, c. 459, §3 (RP).]

[PL 1991, c. 459, §3 (RPR).]

6.  Refusal to sign; prohibited act.  Any person who refuses to sign a citation or a Uniform Summons and Complaint after having been ordered to do so by a law enforcement officer commits a Class E crime.

[PL 1991, c. 459, §3 (RPR).]

7.  Refusal to sign; prohibited act.

[PL 1991, c. 459, §3 (RP).]

SECTION HISTORY

PL 1989, c. 174, §3 (NEW). PL 1991, c. 459, §3 (RPR). PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §7 (REV). PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23 (REV).