A Sagadahoc County sheriff's deputy on Tuesday accused Gov. Janet Mills and an independent commission that investigated last year's mass shooting of "lying" to the Maine people.
Sgt. Aaron Skolfield was defending himself against criticism that he could have attempted to use Maine's "yellow flag" law against the gunman, Robert Card, before the shooting.
Last month, Mills said Skolfield was part of a "colossal failure of human judgment" for not doing more to potentially stop Card in the months before he killed 18 people in Lewiston. Mills was echoing the findings of an independent commission that said Skolfield had probable cause, back in September of 2023, to try to "yellow flag" Card in order to temporarily seize his guns.
The report said that Skolfield relied too heavily on Card's family and his Army Reserve leaders to resolve the issue. The panel also accused leaders of Card's Saco-based Reserve unit of failing to stay engaged in his mental health care and to work to remove his personal guns from his home after he was hospitalized in a psychiatric facility.
During her press conference last month, Mills also mentioned the upcoming race for sheriff between Skolfield and Sheriff Joel Merry.
"I urge the people of Sagadahoc County to read this report and to consider it deeply as they decide who should be the next sheriff of Sagadahoc County," Mills said at the time. "This independent commission report should inform that very important decision."
On Tuesday, Skolfield unleashed on Mills and the commission members that she appointed. Skolfield is a Republican while both Mills and Merry and Democrats. And he suggested that politics were behind the governor's statements that day.
"Gov. Mills speech shows that the investigation by her hand-picked commission was in fact politically motivated and was not about displaying the unvarnished facts, as she purported," Skolfield said.
Speaking during a press conference at the State House, Skolfield accused the commission of purposefully leaving out crucial details in its investigation. Skolfield said the first step in the yellow flag process at that time was to take the person into protective custody but that — as he made clear to the commission — Card never answered the door. And Skolfield said then, as well as on Tuesday, that he had no legal grounds to forcefully enter Card's house.
Skolfield also said the commission failed to mention that Card's Army Reserve leaders had told him that a fellow reservists' warnings about Card should be taken with a "grain of salt." Sean Hodgson had texted his Reserve leaders in September that he was worried his close friend might attack the Reserve base or commit a mass shooting.
Skolfield also took issue with a line in the report that he and another deputy only spent 16 minutes attempting to contact Card at his home in Bowdoin. Skolfield said he spent hours monitoring Card's driveway and trying to talk to his family and fellow reservists before he was diverted to another call.
"The commission knew that," Skolfield said. "The governor and the commission lied to you. I know these are monumental words calling out big hitters in their respective fields."
Asked for a response, Mills' office said in a statement that the governor was not involved in the commission's investigation. But a spokesman said the commission — comprised of former judges, prosecutors, criminal investigators, a psychologist and a psychiatrist — charged with following the facts "wherever they may lead."
"Following the completion of the commission’s work, the governor only offered her reaction to their report — in which she said she has full faith and confidence in the facts as determined by the Commission and agrees with the Commission’s observations," reads the statement. "The governor has nothing further to add beyond the comments she already made."
Skolfield was speaking as part of an event organized by supporters of Maine's progressive treatment program, or PTP. Under that program, courts can order someone to undergo mental health treatment if they pose a "likelihood of serious harm" to themselves or others but are unlikely to voluntarily follow a treatment program.
Advocates say the program is woefully under-utilized in Maine and that few police officers, including Skolfield, are trained in how to use it. They have been calling on the Mills administration to bolster training and resources to support the program, which they said can help prevent tragic situations involving people who pose a threat to themselves or others.
Tuesday's press conference was held roughly three weeks before the one-year anniversary of Maine's deadliest mass shooting. Earlier in the day, faith leaders from around Maine led a prayer service outside of the State House to remember the victims of the Lewiston mass shooting.
Nearly a dozen Christian, Islamic and Jewish leaders read aloud the names and ages of the 18 people who died in Lewiston on October 25. The group also sang several hymns and prayed for continued healing of survivors, the victims' families and the people of the state.
"Eighteen beloved ones held dear by us in mortal life, held dear by you in the eternal, lying gently in your arms,” they said.
"Let us continue to wrap our arms around one another and those who have lost so much, with remembrance that never ceases, with grieving that continues on and with healing that is steady and sure," said the Rev. Marisa Laviola with the Maine Conference United Church of Christ. "And as we depart, take with you the peace and comfort. And take with you resolve to work together for a cease the violence and all of its forms throughout our communities in our beloved state of Maine."
