The investigators left the island after the phone call, according to McCausland.īuses also fall under that umbrella, he said, but they’re inspected less often because there are fewer of them on the roads. “It was the first time in six years as chief and first time in 20 years as tribal leader that I’ve seen this happen,” he added.ĭuring the inspections, the Penobscot Nation’s representative to the Legislature, Wayne Mitchell, called the state to complain about the vehicle enforcement unit’s unannounced, unwelcome presence on the island. “I think it was a slap in the face to tribal sovereignty,” Penobscot Nation Tribal Chief Kirk Francis said Wednesday.
The team issued four summonses - one to a driver with a suspended license, one for an out-of-date log book, one for broken brake lights and another McCausland didn’t have available - and eight warnings, five for problems with lights and three for log book issues.Īll the while, Penobscot Nation police Chief Robert Bryant and other tribal representatives protested the fact that uniformed state police had crossed over the bridge onto the island with no prior notice.
