The owners of an organic farm in the town of Penobscot said Monday that they have closed because of the federal government’s actions after one of the farmers was charged with assault over an alleged altercation in Acadia National Park.
They have denied those charges. They also argued that the prosecution of the case has been overblown, has uprooted their lives and has most likely “shattered the future of the farm.”
Lena Khunt and Jason Langley started Northern Bay Organics, a no-till farm, in 2020. After several years of selling wholesale and at markets, they discontinued their business and transitioned to a “pay-what-you-can” model with an onsite farmstand and open volunteer opportunities last summer.
In 2024, the farmers reported they donated 7,500 pounds of produce and started the process of becoming a nonprofit organization.
But in March, Langley was arrested at home on charges that he had allegedly thrown cash and then his wallet at an Acadia National Park employee who could only accept cards for an annual membership fee. He also allegedly pounded on the door of her booth.
He was charged with one count each of simple assault and disorderly conduct for the alleged incident from October 2023, when he was visiting the park with Khunt and her parents.
On Monday, the farmers sent out a lengthy update on the case in an email newsletter. They argued that the federal government’s response to the original charges — including sending heavily armed officers to their home to serve an arrest warrant — has forced them to close their farm and temporarily leave town. They asked readers to come by to weed and harvest produce which would otherwise go to waste.
The farm was quiet and productive Monday afternoon; chickens, ducks and geese scratched in rotating pens, beehives buzzed, plant beds were vibrant and a small greenhouse was full. Caretaker and neighbor Karen Grover cut mint from raised beds. Volunteer Isabella Sullivan, of Belfast, weeded around onions.
Sullivan said she was in town for a hike when she read the farm’s newsletter and came over to work before heading home. She volunteered last summer and enjoyed the sense of community. She also valued that the farm offered quality vegetables to everyone for free.
“The fact that they were an important part of the community and then something like that would happen…it was just very unnecessary, and it’s really, really unfortunate,” she said. “I hope that things get resolved and everything, and that they can be heard. I think that would be a huge thing.”
Grover said she’s been growing her own food for 30 years and got connected to the farm through social media. She became more involved as a neighbor and is now helping to manage it in the farmers’ absence.
Grover has enjoyed sharing information and learning together on the farm, and she also values community.
“If that’s what you’re interested in, it’s just fun to find people with the same values and like minds,” she said.
She feels Khunt and Langley have created something beautiful with the farm, and she hopes they can get through this stage to keep growing, she said.
Khunt and Langley said they were not available for an interview Monday, but directed a reporter to their newsletter and answered additional questions by email.
At the time of the alleged incident in the national park, Langley was issued citations for engaging in fighting, violent or threatening behavior and for a failure to pay the fee, the farmers said in their newsletter. Those came with a $200 fine that he refused to pay because it would have been an admission of guilt, according to the farmers.
They deny that he acted violently or threatened anyone, and they said that some of his behavior that day was related to his autism.
The farmers also allege they never received copies of the violations they requested from the administrative office of the federal court and weren’t notified of a second court date, as they were told they would be.
Park officials added a federal assault charge under a sealed warrant, reportedly because Langley had not paid the fine or appeared in court, and armed officers came to their home on March 18, they said in the newsletter. But Langley was not home at the time, and a week later, members of the county sheriff’s office returned to arrest him, the farm said in an email. He was released on a personal recognizance bond, which means he didn’t have to post money.
In their newsletter, the farmers stressed they did not want to sensationalize events but felt the community should know why they had “shuttered the farm completely” this season.
They also alleged that their court-appointed attorneys have not made accommodations for Langley’s autism, such as meeting with him outside the courtroom setting or including an autism specialist in the proceedings like they have requested.
Langley has had two court-appointed attorneys, both of whom have asked the court to be removed from his case because of irreconcilable differences.
Andrew Lizotte, an assistant U.S. Attorney for Bangor, declined to comment on the case because it is pending in its pretrial phase.
Khunt said by email that their legal situation needs to be resolved before they can even consider reopening the farm. The experience has also been traumatizing for the farmers and they need time to recover, she said.
A trial date still has not been set.
