The Portland man suspected in a hit-and-run death in Acadia National Park over the weekend was in a relationship with the victim.
Nicole Mokeme, 35, of South Portland had been dating 35-year-old Raymond Lester for more than three years, the Portland Press Herald reported, citing social media posts.
Mokeme was fatally hit on the campus of the Schoodic Education and Research Center in Winter Harbor sometime Saturday night or early Sunday morning, according to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Since Mokeme’s death, police have been looking for Lester and his 2016 black BMW X3 SUV with the license plate 5614WM. As of Tuesday, police have not been able to locate him, according to Moss.
The SUV may have front-end or undercarriage damage.
Lester has been charged three times with domestic violence assault and once with violating a protection from abuse order since 2008, among other charges that include assault, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, drug possession and theft, the Press Herald reported.
Mokeme, who served as the creative director for Rise and Shine Youth Retreat, which serves Black youth and adults, was organizing the Black Excellence Retreat 2022 being held in Winter Harbor when the hit-and-run crash happened, according to the newspaper.
Anyone with information about the hit-and-run death can contact the Maine State Police at 207-973-3700.
A message left with a state police spokesperson was not immediately returned Wednesday morning.
