Trooper who patrols Lebanon back on duty after suspension

Trooper Michael D. Lane (Courtesy photo)

A state trooper who in the past has often patrolled Lebanon and distinguished himself on several occasions is back on duty after being placed on administrative leave in September after he was charged with criminal mischief in Saco.

Trooper Michael D. Lane, 28, of Lyman, was summonsed by Saco police Sept. 2 at an address on Elijah Drive around 2 a.m., according to Saco police. Police did not provide details on what led to the charge.

The York District Attorney Office ultimately decided not to press charges. They were not immediately available for comment today.

Lane returned to duty about two weeks ago.

As a matter of routine, district attorneys are not required to explain why charges are dropped.

Criminal mischief is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. It is described as wantonly or knowingly destroying someone else's property.

Lane was the trooper State Police praised for his patience while trying to arrest a Lebanon man on a domestic violence charge last December. A seven-minute video of the officer trying to place the suspect in handcuffs quickly went viral with more than 15,000 shares.

Then in January Lane was credited with a daring "Precision Immobilizing Technique" stop of a suspect who had drawn a multi-jurisdictional vehicle pursuit that began in Somersworth, traveled through Berwick and Milton and ended on Heath Road in Lebanon.

Lane used the PIT maneuver to disable the suspect's vehicle. The man was later placed under arrest and later charged with several drug violations.