No one was injured.

Michael Winslow of 475 White Oak Hill Road was charged with domestic violence assault, criminal threatening and violation of bail conditions.

He was taken to Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn after he was evaluated for possible medical issues, Androscoggin County Sheriff Eric Samson said.

“The best thing that could happen, happened, which was a peaceful resolve,” he said.

Androscoggin County and Maine State Police secured a perimeter around the home where Winslow had barricaded himself alone. A disturbance was reported at that address at about 10:30 a.m. As of 3 p.m., the standoff continued.

Maine State Police tactical teams were deployed at the scene throughout early afternoon hours.

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At 3:10 p.m., state police negotiators used a loudspeaker to talk with Winslow. A short time later, he emerged from his home and was taken into custody.

According to Samson, all but one person safely left the house when officers first arrived, and county police were quickly joined by Maine State Police, game wardens and Mechanic Falls police at the single-family home. A Poland Rescue unit was standing by.

According to a neighbor, the home belongs to Winslow and his wife. The wife was safely removed from the house and was not injured.

According to Samson, Winslow’s wife made a 911 call around 10:30 a.m. When police arrived at the house, the situation quickly escalated, he said.

“When officers arrived, deputies arrived, the victim came out of the house,” Samson said, and “the suspect shut the doors and barricaded himself in.”

Samson said police have a history with Winslow at the house, and as soon as the door was locked they backed off for their safety.

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Winslow’s wife was taken to a nearby staging area. She was not injured, Samson said.

Shortly before 3 p.m., Androscoggin County Chief Deputy William Gagne said police were not hurrying to remove Winslow from his house. “A lot of times they are going to control, being that the suspect controls how things go, how long it goes. We’re not going to rush anything.”

At around 1 p.m., after taking a statement from the victim, authorities prepared affidavits aimed at securing arrest and search warrants for Winslow and his house. 

Just before noon police glimpsed Winslow in the house through a window but had had no verbal communication up to that point, Samson said.

Winslow was arrested by Androscoggin County deputies in October 2014 and charged with domestic violence assault at his home. That case is pending in Androscoggin County Superior Court.

He has two criminal mischief convictions in Androscoggin County, the first in 1988 and again in 2013. In 1992, he was convicted of felony aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs and spent four months in jail.

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Winslow also has a misdemeanor marijuana charge dating back to 1974 and a civil marijuana conviction from 2005.

He is prohibited from owning or using firearms.

Police closed White Oak Hill Road at the intersection with Summit Spring Road, at the golf course, and where it meets Route 11.

According to Samson, police “knocked on doors of surrounding homes to advise people it might be in their best interest to evacuate.”

At midafternoon, police stopped a man who was operating a drone over the standoff scene, Gagne said. He was operating from Route 11 and feeding the images to a local television station.

Gagne appeared upset that the drone was interfering with the scene and “putting officers in danger. Stupid.”

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Gagne said later Thursday that once the person operating the drone was found and asked to stop he did so and wasn’t charged.

But Gagne said he would contact the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday to see whether the drone operator had violated any federal law or rule by flying over the scene.

In standoff situations in which a suspect has access to television or other media, police generally ask media to limit images so the suspect does not know where officers are because they may become targets.

In total, about 50 law enforcement officers responded to the standoff, plus support staff from local fire and rescue units.


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