The day after 15-year-old Nichole Cable was last seen alive by her family, Kyle Dube posted a picture of her on his Facebook page with the words:

“Please help these family get back together. Nicole wherever you are, I hope you’re safe.”

The next day, he posted another picture and the words: “Help find Nichole Cable.”

One week later, police announced that they had discovered the girl’s body in a wooded area in Old Town and charged Dube with killing her.

Dube, 20, of Orono, had turned himself in to police Friday on unrelated charges dating back to 2012. Police said Tuesday that they had enough evidence to charge him with Cable’s murder.

Maine State Police Lt. Christopher Coleman would not disclose any additional details, pending the release of an arrest affidavit.

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Stephen Smith, an attorney in Bangor, confirmed Tuesday that he has been retained to represent Dube, but he would not discuss the charges or any other details about his client. Smith did say that Dube will plead not guilty.

It wasn’t immediately clear how well Dube and Cable knew each other, although a friend of Cable who spoke at a police news conference Tuesday said the two had been hanging out together for several weeks.

Dube’s Facebook page indicates he was born in Presque Isle and attended Orono schools. He graduated from Orono High School in 2011.

Cable lived in Glenburn, which borders Orono, and went to Old Town High School.

Dube’s Facebook page says he was a student in automotive technology at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor. A spokeswoman for the college said Dube was a student there during the 2011-12 academic year but was not enrolled after that.

Dube listed his employer as the Getchell Agency, a company in Bangor that provides a range of services to people with disabilities. A message left with the agency Tuesday was not returned.

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He also worked at a full-service gas station in Bangor, called Doc’s Place, as recently as last year. A manager there said she didn’t remember much about him.

In June 2012, Dube led police on a high-speed chase on Interstate 95 north of Bangor. His motorcycle was clocked at more than 130 mph before he slowed down and hit a police cruiser. He was charged with driving to endanger, eluding an officer and criminal speeding. According to published reports, Dube fled from police because he was scared about getting a ticket.

On Friday, Dube turned himself in to begin serving a 90-day jail sentence related to those charges, his attorney said.

According to the Maine Bureau of Identification, Dube was charged in April 2011 with theft and burglary of a motor vehicle. He also was charged with theft in December 2012. He pleaded guilty in both cases and paid fines, the records show.

Dube’s Facebook page names a woman as his girlfriend and shows pictures of the two together. A post by Dube with misspellings and dated May 13, the day after Cable disappeared, sought to address that relationship:

“OK so I don’t with the droma. Let’s get things straight. I KYLE DUBE is and always will be with (my girlfriend). We have had are ups and downs but we have worked them out so stop talking to me if your trying to flirt and guys you better stop hitting on (my girlfriend) I’m (expletive) crazy when I get pissed off and I’m about there.”

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Ty Taylor, who lives in Dedham, said he hung out with Dube but hasn’t seem him in months. They used to skate at Great Skates in Bangor and sometimes went to the same car shows.

“He was a fun guy. He wasn’t crazy or anything,” Taylor said.

Dube has been living with his parents and younger brother, Dustin, on Maplewood Avenue in Orono, within walking distance of the Maine State Police Troop E barracks. Neighbors said they think the family has lived in the house for about four years.

Tim Hackett said the Dubes seem like a nice family. He said he often has seen Kyle working on cars in the driveway.

“He was very helpful,” Hackett said, recalling a time when Dube hauled boxes for him. “As a parent, I feel for both families. It’s a human tragedy.”

Dave Basti, another neighbor, said he doesn’t know the family well, but state police vans were at the home all day Sunday.

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“They scoured the place. There were a lot of people, a lot of officers,” he said. Police have said that Cable, shortly before she disappeared, planned to connect with a man she had met on Facebook, named Bryan Butterfield. A man by that name was questioned by police but told a WLBZ-TV reporter last week that he had nothing to do with Cable’s disappearance.

Melissa Kim of WLBZ interviewed Dube last week for a story about Cable’s disappearance. Kim said she went to Dube’s home in Orono after hearing that police were searching it. At that point, Dube had not been charged.

Dube told Kim that Cable was a friend and that police wanted to talk to him about her.

When Kim found out Tuesday that Dube had been charged with Cable’s murder, she said the news was “mind boggling.”

“He was so normal. I can’t wrap my head around that,” Kim said.

Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at:

erussell@pressherald.com

Twitter: @PPHEricRussell


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