DIXFIELD – Joshua L. Hussey remained in critical condition at a Portland hospital Monday, two days after investigators said he shot himself in the head just before he was captured by police.

The 48-year-old Greene resident had been on the lam for nearly two weeks as police tried to find and arrest him on warrants for violating probation stemming from a domestic violence charge.

In early March, police searched the home of Hussey’s former girlfriend in Greene, believing he might be inside. Hussey was not found in that search, but in a text message to a Sun Journal photographer days later, he claimed he had been hiding beneath insulation in the attic the whole time.

Hussey also admitted he later trashed parts of the woman’s house before going on the run.

In his text messages, Hussey wrote he was “heartbroken” over the failed relationship. He also said he warned he would not let police take him into custody.

“I don’t want anyone to be hurt, not even me,” Hussey wrote. “But I’m not going back to prison.”

Hussey has served prison time for a variety of charges dating back to the early 1990s. His record includes convictions for burglaries, thefts and assaults.

On Saturday, police said they closed in on Hussey after learning that he was hiding inside his mother’s house in Dixfield.

Because of his violent criminal history, “a decision was made to conduct a felony arrest at night for the safety of the officers,” Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland said. The idea was to catch Hussey by surprise to minimize danger.

Police entered Hussey’s mother’s house at 2 a.m. Saturday and found Hussey injured, McCausland said. An ambulance was called. As emergency medical personnel worked on him, they discovered Hussey had shot himself in the head with a handgun, McCausland said.

A handgun was later discovered in the house. No shots were fired by police, McCausland said. The case remains under investigation.

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