Three new Marine Patrol Officers will soon begin serving in downeast Maine. Kaelyn Kuni of Saco, Lexis Elston of Windham and Tim Beauchamp of York were sworn in by Commissioner Patrick Keliher in late July. Officer Kuni will serve in the Milbridge-Steuben patrol, and Officer Elston will serve in the Jonesport-Beals-Addison patrol. Officer Beauchamp will begin serving in the Machias patrol after completing Field Officer training, which begins in January. Prior to joining the Marine Patrol, Officer Kuni served as a dispatcher for the City of Westbrook, a Security Officer for Securitas, USA, and a Park Ranger for the State of Maine’s Eagle Island Historic Site. She has served as a Research Assistant at the University of Southern Maine (USM) Entomology Lab, and as an Assistant Head Lifeguard in Biddeford. She is pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Science from USM. Officer Elston served as an Assistant Park Ranger for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Previously, she worked in Communications and Fisheries Education for the Stonington based non-profit Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries (MCCF). Officer Elston has also served as a multimedia assistant to the Portland-based non-profit sailing school, Sail Maine. Officer Elston holds an A.S. in Marine Science from Southern Maine Community College and is currently completing her B.A. degree in Marine Ecology from the University of Maine at Machias. Officer Beauchamp served as a Security Officer for the Department of Navy at the Portsmouth Shipyard and as a Law Enforcement and Small Arms Instructor for the US Coast Guards Anti-Terrorism Unit in Boston, Massachusetts. He also served as a member of the US Coast Guard’s Tactical Law Enforcement Team in Miami, Florida and the Coast Guard’s Maritime Safety and Security Team in San Francisco. He is pursuing a B.S. in Computer Information Technology.
From left to right, new Marine Patrol officers Lexis Elston, Kaelyn Kuni, Timothy Beauchamp, and Captain Matthew Talbot. DMR photo.
Marine Patrol added a new state-of-the-art vessel to its fleet last month. The Endeavor, a 42-foot vessel with a Calvin Beal hull, was built by Farrin’s Boat Shop in Walpole and launched in South Bristol. She will be home ported in West Boothbay. The P/V Endeavor will replace the P/V Monitor, a 22-year-old 35-foot Young Brothers’ which was damaged by electrical fire in 2019. The new, larger vessel will provide a safer and more stable platform for Marine Patrol Officers while hauling and inspecting lobster gear in both near-shore and off-shore locations. It will accommodate a 14’ rigid hull inflatable that can be carried on deck and used for at-sea boardings, which are conducted to check vessels for compliance with marine resources laws. Like the Monitor, the Endeavor will be assigned to Marine Patrol’s Section 2 (Freeport to Bremen).
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