Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Deputy Connor Pinkman talks Wednesday morning with a state police trooper at the corner of Woodman Hill and Center Minot Hill roads in Minot. Woodman Hill Road was blocked off after an early morning fire and shooting about a quarter-mile down the road. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
MINOT — A local man was arrested Wednesday and charged with shooting an Androscoggin County Sheriff’s deputy outside a home on Woodman Hill Road, according to Maine State Police.
Corey Hamel, 42, was charged with aggravated attempted murder and arson.
He is being held at Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn. He’s expected to make his initial court appearance Friday.
Sgt. Randy Williams, 43, was struck in the upper right leg by a bullet from gunfire leveled at several vehicles, according to a statement from Shannon Moss, spokesperson for Maine Department of Public Safety.
Williams was transported in a deputy’s cruiser to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston where he was expected to undergo surgery.
Deputies responded about 4 a.m. to a complaint of a disturbance at a home at 1089 Woodman Hill Road, which is Route 119. Williams was shot during an altercation, according to the statement.
Deputies were helping the homeowners leave the residence when Hamel began firing at them from the end of the driveway. The homeowners were not injured in the gunfire.
Androscoggin County Sheriff’s deputies and Mechanic Falls Police officers confronted Hamel and took him safely into custody, the statement said.
Several area fire departments responded to the home, which was engulfed in flames when deputies first arrived.
State police and state fire investigators collected evidence and conducted interviews.
Williams was reportedly the only person injured during the incident.
Williams has been with Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department for over 20 years, according to a 2020 feature story, and was promoted to sergeant in December. He is a longtime self-taught bagpiper playing for the Maine Public Safety Pipe and Drum Corps, for the Sheriff’s Office and at funerals and other events. He became a Kora Shriner in recent years where he also plays the pipes.
Androscoggin County sheriff’s deputy Connor Pinkman lets a tow truck and excavator through a roadblock Wednesday morning on Woodman Hill Road in Minot. The road was blocked at Center Minot Hill Road after an early morning fire and shooting about a quarter-mile down the road. The equipment was to be used as part of the investigation. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Hamel’s confrontation at the Woodman Hill Road home is similar to events from August 2017, in which he was charged with seven crimes, including attempted arson, after he took steps to burn down his Pottle Hill Road home.
He eventually pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor domestic violence assault charges and was sentenced to a total of 18 months in jail, according to court documents.
According to an affidavit written by Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Deputy Travis G. Lovering, he and another deputy were dispatched to Hamel’s home at 3:18 a.m. July 2, 2017, in response to a call that Hamel was “out of control, tearing up the house and beating his wife.”
Hamel was reported to be drunk and suicidal. He had poured gasoline throughout the interior of the house and was saying he would set it on fire, Lovering wrote in his statement.
Lovering had been advised that Hamel may be seeking suicide by cop.
Hamel’s wife told police that he showed signs of suffering from severe mental health issues since a serious motorcycle crash, including post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder, Lovering wrote in his affidavit.
On the night of July 1, 2017, Hamel had suddenly become upset and threw a wine bottle that struck the side of his wife’s head, though she didn’t think he had meant to hit her, she told Lovering.
He broke several items in their home, then smashed a security camera with a hammer, she told Lovering. His two daughters tried to stop him by tackling him; one of them was injured when he threw her off, Lovering wrote. The two daughters suffered minor injuries.
Hamel went outside the house and “got a tank containing gasoline.”
After bringing it inside the home, Hamel “stated that he was going to burn the house down and commit suicide,” his wife told Lovering. He told his wife and children to leave the home, which they did.
She told authorities that Hamel owned several BB guns.
Local fire officials closed the road where the home is located. Lovering, another deputy and the Mechanic Falls officer drove to the home where Hamel stood in the driveway, wearing only a pair of pants and holding a handgun to his head.
Lovering pointed a rifle at Hamel and told him to drop his gun and lie on the ground. Hamel paced the driveway, yelling that he was going to kill himself and that he wanted to die. He had been talking on a cellphone, but threw the phone on the ground. He entered the house then exited again, Lovering wrote.
Eventually, at Lovering’s urging, Hamel dropped his gun and laid on the ground on his stomach. He was handcuffed and searched. Hamel’s breath smelled of alcohol; his eyes were bloodshot and glassy, Lovering wrote.
Hamel was combative and sought to fight the deputy, despite being handcuffed, Lovering wrote.
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