Friday morning snowfall covers what is left of a burnt out home at 1089 Woodman Hill Road in Minot. Police have arrested and charged Corey Hamel of Minot. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — A judge set bail at $1 million for a Minot man charged with the attempted murder of an Androscoggin County Sheriff’s deputy who was shot in the leg Wednesday as he responded to a disturbance complaint.

Corey Hamel of Minot appears by videoconference in 8th District Court in Lewiston on  Friday after he was charged with attempted murder of an Androscoggin County Sheriff’s deputy on Wednesday. screenshot from video

Corey Hamel, 42, is charged with aggravated attempted murder, a crime punishable by any term up to life in prison, and elevated aggravated assault, which carries a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison.

He is charged with theft by unauthorized taking, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Hamel also was charged with reckless conduct with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, each count a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

And he faces a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief.

Hamel appeared Friday in 8th District Court by videoconference from Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn.

He didn’t enter pleas to the charges, because most are felonies. In order for a felony charge to go to trial, a grand jury must return an indictment unless the defendant opts to waive that process.

At the time of his arrest, Hamel had been on probation for violating a condition of release stemming from a domestic violence charge.

He was appointed a lawyer to represent him on the charges.

Deputies responded at about 4 a.m. Wednesday to a complaint of a disturbance at a home at 1089 Woodman Hill Road, Minot, which is Route 119.

Androscoggin County Sgt. Randy Williams was shot during an altercation. He was struck in the upper right leg by a bullet from gunfire leveled at several vehicles, authorities said.

In an affidavit filed by Maine State Police, Detective Adam Fillebrown wrote that Hamel’s girlfriend, Tiffany Morin, said she and Hamel had argued before she went to the bedroom of Trudy Harlow, who is married to James Harlow, Hamel’s boss.

Trudy Harlow threatened to call police after Hamel tried to get into her bedroom.

Tiffany Morin then heard Hamel swear and, opening the door, saw the kitchen was filled with smoke.

She, James Harlow and Trudy Harlow all left the home through a back door. She then heard popping sounds in the fire, Fillebrown wrote.

Morin told officers she didn’t have a gun.

James Harlow, who owns the home, said Hamel worked for him as a carpenter and rented a room from him.

Harlow told police he woke up at about 3:30 a.m. to popping sounds and heard Hamel “say something similar to, ‘There you go. That what you want?'”

Harlow wasn’t sure if it was gunshots or not and was worried “(Hamel) was going to shoot or had shot the girls,” noting Hamel is “very jealous” of his wife, Fillebrown wrote.

Harlow then heard the women screaming about the fire. He tried unsuccessfully to put out the fire with an extinguisher.

He left the building and moved some vehicles when he saw a male and female deputy attempting to move people away from the fire.

When Harlow was in the driveway, he heard Hamel scream: “Happy Valentine’s Day, motherf—-rs” and walk into the driveway. Hamel then fired “multiple rounds and the male deputy was struck.”

Harlow made his way to his truck to retrieve his 9 mm handgun, but the holster was empty, Fillebrown wrote. Hamel had known Harlow kept a gun there.

Harlow’s wife, Trudy, told police that Tiffany Morin had barged into her bedroom around 3:30 a.m., saying Hamel had a gun and was going to shoot her after he had pointed a gun at her head.

After Tiffany Morin left to go back to her bedroom, Trudy Harlow said she could hear Morin and Hamel continue to argue. Trudy Harlow then noticed the kitchen was on fire.

Hamel asked whether anyone had a fire extinguisher.

Trudy Harlow said she rounded up pets and left the home in time to see Hamel shoot the deputy outside after shouting an expletive.

The deputies told the Harlows and Tiffany Morin to get into the vehicles for safety.

Hamel later declined to speak with officers about the incident, Fillebrown wrote.

Fire marshals had found guns in the home, Fillebrown wrote.

FOUR ‘POP’ SOUNDS

Deputy Emma Stone said officers had been dispatched to the home for a report that a male had discharged a firearm “and then shortly after, they learned he started a fire in the residence,” Fillebrown wrote.

When Stone and Williams arrived at the address, she saw two women and a man standing outside the building, which was fully engulfed in flames.

Stone tried to find Hamel, but wasn’t able to, she said.

Stone “heard a commotion behind her and before she turned around, Stone stated she heard gunshots and asked Williams if he had been shot,” Fillebrown wrote.

“She said she was unsure where Hamel was and instructed the (home’s) occupants to get behind a truck that stood nearby,” Fillebrown wrote.

The two deputies also moved behind the truck.

She heard a third deputy giving commands to Hamel, “so she moved towards them and assisted in securing Hamel,” Fillebrown wrote.

Hamel told the deputies the gun, a Springfield 9 mm pistol, was in the snowbank, where Stone later recovered it, along with two shell casings. One round was in the chamber and three rounds were in the magazine.

Multiple casings were in the driveway near where Hamel had been found, Fillebrown wrote.

Stone took Hamel to the jail.

A bullet hole was discovered in the back of a county SUV driven by Williams that morning.

Williams said he saw a man at the end of the driveway without a T-shirt who was yelling as Williams and the others were moving away from the home that was burning.

Williams said he thought the man might be a neighbor. The women told Williams that the man was Hamel.

As he stood in the driveway, Williams heard four “pop” sounds. He was unsure what the sound was, but “fell to the ground as he lost load-bearing ability on his right leg,” discovering he’d been shot, Fillebrown wrote.

Several people told police that Hamel had started the fire.