The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has added three full-time patrol deputies since April: David Bellows, Alonzo Connor, and Andrew Miner.
Each brings a different background to the agency: as a pilot and aircraft mechanic from Waldoboro, a recent college graduate from Gardiner, and a former chiropractor from New York.
Deputy David Bellows
Deputy David Bellows grew up in Waldoboro, where he graduated from home-schooling.
A 2009 graduate of LeTourneau University in Texas, he has a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical science, as well as a commercial pilot’s license and certification as an aircraft mechanic.
For several years, Bellows, 32, worked as a pilot and mechanic at Penobscot Island Air in Owls Head.
His career interests were always in aviation and law enforcement. “Aviation won out originally,” he said.
He considered a career combining both interests, as a pilot with the Maine Warden Service.
Instead, he joined the Damariscotta Police Department in August 2017. He started work at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in April of this year.
“I like helping people,” Bellows said of why he enjoys law enforcement and intends to make it his career. “There’s a sense of, you’re making a difference.”
“It’s never routine,” he said. “Every day is different.”
Bellows will begin the 18-week Basic Law Enforcement Training Program at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro this month.
Bellows maintains a connection to his other passion. He continues to work as an aircraft mechanic on the side and still has his commercial pilot’s license, although he no longer flies commercially.
Away from the patrol car or airplane hangar, he likes to spend time with his two daughters. He plays ice hockey in the winter at the Midcoast Recreation Center in Rockport.
Deputy Alonzo Connor
Deputy Alonzo Connor grew up in Gardiner. He graduated from Gardiner Area High School in 2012.
Connor played football and basketball and ran track for the Tigers. He went to Husson University in Bangor to play football. He was a running back his first two years, a middle linebacker his last two.
During his second semester at Husson, he decided to major in criminal justice. “I really knew it was going to be the thing for me,” he said.
“It’s always going to bring the best out of you and challenge you every day,” Connor said of his choice of law enforcement as a career.
Connor, 24, now has a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Husson.
He completed basic training as a Maine State Police recruit in December 2017 before deciding to continue his career in Lincoln County. He joined the sheriff’s office in May and is enjoying the work.
“You meet so many nice people and work in a county that’s beautiful,” he said.
Law enforcement is about community for Connor. He likes to be in the community, help the community, and get to know people in the community. He also likes to belong to a community.
“From the sergeants all the way down to the deputies, it’s a knit family,” Connor said of the sheriff’s office.
Deputy Andrew Miner
Deputy Andrew Miner grew up in Dansville, a village in western New York.
Miner, 40, has an associate degree and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the State University of New York’s Alfred and Brockport schools, respectively, and a chiropractic doctorate from New York Chiropractic College.
He moved to Maine for a position with a chiropractic practice in Augusta, but didn’t like the work. Looking for a change, he got a job at the Maine State Prison in Warren.
He worked in the prison’s Special Management Unit for almost three years. The unit houses high-risk prisoners and those on disciplinary status, and incorporates the facility’s Mental Health Stabilization Unit.
From the outset, Miner planned to use his experience in corrections to land a patrol job. He started at the sheriff’s office in May.
“This is a better fit for me,” Miner said of law enforcement in general and the sheriff’s office in particular.
“You get to get involved in the community in a positive way, which is nice,” he said. “You don’t always get that in prison.”
He appreciates the opportunity to work in the community where he lives and does business, and where he knows many of the people he comes into contact with.
Miner will begin basic training in January. He is a gardener and hobby farmer in his spare time, growing produce and raising chickens.
