Case dropped against Westbrook man after discovery of secretive police surveillance
Federal prosecutors dropped charges against a Westbrook man after it was revealed that a police officer secretly surveilled him through a neighbor’s security camera.
For over three years, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Agent Phil Robinson had unfettered access to the camera that a neighbor had installed to monitor Willie Banks’ home, but never got a warrant to do so. The video footage was instrumental in incriminating Banks in connection with a shooting outside his home in 2024, and he was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors failed to disclose the extent of the technology-assisted police surveillance, a U.S. District Court judge wrote earlier this month in a ruling to reverse his earlier orders, which he said were based on incomplete evidence.
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U.S. District Judge Lance Walker had previously denied Banks’ motion to suppress evidence, his motion for sanctions against prosecutors and his request for a hearing to challenge the validity of the search warrant.
The new evidence of the surveillance was revealed in May, raising concerns about the legality of the investigation, the government’s disclosure obligations and Banks’ due process rights, Walker wrote.
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A few weeks after Walker’s ruling, the case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning charges can’t be brought against Banks again for the same offense.
Although it was an unintentional oversight, the government fell short of its disclosure obligations in the case, U.S. Attorney Andrew Benson wrote in the court filing dismissing the case. The prosecution forgot to produce to the defendant a document mentioning Robinson’s continuous access to the neighbor’s camera, Benson wrote.
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Tagged: crime, police, westbrook police department
Salomé Cloteaux is a community reporter covering Scarborough and Westbrook. She was born in France but lived in Indiana for most of her life before moving to Portland in November 2025. Salomé has a degree. More by Salomé Cloteaux
