Sgt. Aaron Skolfield of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office speaks Tuesday in the Maine State House Welcome Center in Augusta. Skolfield, who is now running for sheriff, held a press conference with advocates Tuesday to promote a state mental health program and to strike back against criticism that he failed to act before the shooting. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA — A Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s deputy, criticized in the aftermath of the Lewiston mass shooting for failing to seize Robert Card’s firearms, joined mental health advocates at the state Capitol Tuesday to increase awareness of a state mental health program they say could have prevented the shooting.

Sgt. Aaron Skolfield, mental health advocate Bob Staples and former state legislator John Nutting spoke in support of Maine’s Progressive Treatment Program, or PTP, under which a police officer, medical practitioner, psychiatric hospital or legal guardian can obtain a court order to admit a person suffering from schizoaffective disorders into treatment if they pose a threat of harm to themselves or others.

PTP differs from Maine’s existing “yellow flag” law, which outlines the steps to be taken before a weapon can be removed from those who are considered to be a danger to themselves or others, because it does not require a patient to be in protective custody before it can be invoked. Advocates said at the news conference that PTP could have prevented Robert Card from killing 18 people during the Lewiston shooting.

“Maybe I or a number of others could have helped the process get started, to give Card the help he needed,” Skolfield said.

The majority of Maine law enforcement is unaware of PTP as a result of a political play by Gov. Janet Mills, Skolfield said, leaving the program vastly underutilized as a result.

The commission investigating the Lewiston shooting has criticized Skolfield for not employing Maine’s “yellow flag” law against Card, though Skolfield claimed during the meeting that the commission’s report omitted evidence in order to discredit him.

During the conference, Skolfield blasted Mills and the commission investigating the shooting for purportedly distorting the facts to make it seem as though he hadn’t done enough to prevent the tragedy.

“I wish something was done differently on a number of levels that could have changed the outcome,” Skolfield said Tuesday. “The investigation by (Mills’) hand-picked committee was, in fact, politically motivated and not about displaying the unvarnished facts as she purported.”

Ben Goodman, a spokesperson for Mills, said the governor was not involved in the commission’s investigation nor the administration of the PTP program, which is overseen by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

“The Governor and the Attorney General asked the appointees only to follow the facts, wherever they may lead, in an independent and objective manner, biased by no one and guided only by the pursuit of truth,” Goodman wrote. “The Governor has nothing further to add beyond the comments she already made.”

Skolfield, who is running as a Republican for Sagadahoc County sheriff, said he was “not here to sway votes” at the news conference, held just a month before the election.

Former state legislator John Nutting speaks in support of Maine’s Progressive Treatment Program during a news conference Tuesday in the Maine State House Welcome Center in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Nutting, a Democrat who helped draft the first legislation around PTP in 2010, said the focus in preventing shootings should lie on preventive measures such as PTP rather than gun control. Nutting is a member of the National Shattering Silence Coalition, which previously claimed the Maine Department of Health and Human Services has resisted calls to increase PTP training for police.

He suggested that Mills and the Lewiston shooting commission had worked to downplay the existence of PTP during their investigation because of a personal grudge he believes Mills holds against the program.

“It’s not just about guns, guns, guns, it’s really about staying on their treatment plan,” Nutting said. “Robert Card met every criteria for the treatment plan, for the PTP plan, so it’s very frustrating to us.”

That was disputed by Kevin Kelley, the spokesperson for the Lewiston commission, who said Card hadn’t received a proper diagnosis, which is the first step in invoking PTP.

“In order for PTP to be ordered, however, Card would have had to have been diagnosed with a ‘persistent and severe mental illness,’ and there would have had to have been a ‘suitable individualized treatment plan’ in place for him,” Kelley wrote in an email. “In addition, he would have needed access to licensed and qualified community providers able to support the treatment plan. The fact is that not even the first step, a long-term diagnosis, had been accomplished.”

Including Maine, 48 states have some sort of court-ordered treatment plan for people with mental health disorders who pose a threat to themselves or others, Nutting said, though Maine employs the program far less than most other states. Only 75 Mainers are currently enrolled in PTP, he said.

Nutting and Skolfield were joined at the podium by Staples, who spoke briefly about his son Brett, who had schizoaffective disorder and died in August after being struck by an Amtrak train. Staples said he didn’t know PTP existed until after Brett’s death and that the program could have saved his life.

“Brett suffered from schizoaffective disorder. His mother and I tried for years to get him help, but help wasn’t there,” Staples said.

Standing behind a picture of his late son Brett, Bob Staples speaks at a press conference Tuesday in Augusta about his son’s schizoaffective disorder, which led to his death in August after being struck by an Amtrak train. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Staples announced he will soon file paperwork formalizing the Brett M. Staples Brain Disorder Awareness Coalition, which he hopes will help connect Maine residents, hospitals and law enforcement with PTP.

He was previously the chairman of the Regional School Unit 73 board of directors, but resigned last month to begin the nonprofit in Brett’s honor.

“The purpose of the nonprofit is to address the problems of mental disorders and the impact they have on individuals, families, communities and law enforcement,” Staples said. “Brain disorders are not well understood and their impacts are not often known until after a tragic event.”

Staples, Skolfield and Nutting claimed during the conference that Mills had tampered with the commission’s investigation for political purposes by instructing commissioners to not ask about PTP.

“We do not blame (the hospitals) for not telling us, as the problem lies with the failed policies of Gov. Janet Mills’ administration,” Staples said.

Skolfield also presented printouts of his phone records from when he first attempted to contact Card on Sept. 16, 2023, after he learned Card had threatened to shoot up his Army Reserve unit’s base in Saco, saying the Lewiston commission’s report omitted his phone calls to Card’s Army superiors and Ellsworth police officers in an attempt to discredit him ahead of the November election.

“(Gov. Mills) strongly hinted to voters this fall who to consider to vote for Sagadahoc County sheriff, a despicable and abhorrent act to say the least,” said Skolfield. “The motivation here was to deflect off of Gov. Mills’ callous neglect and failures as governor to protect Mainers by not promoting the progressive treatment program.”

The notion that the commission had been politicized in any way is flatly wrong, Kelley said, adding that “the final report speaks for itself.”

“To suggest otherwise is irresponsible and does a disservice to the people of Maine, particularly the victims and their families,” he wrote.

Though some mental health advocates say PTP could violate civil rights by forcing treatment on a patient against their will, Nutting said mental health care should be expanded to prevent another tragedy like the Lewiston shooting.

“If I had $5 for every time I’ve been told by a member of those groups that it’s someone’s right to be psychotic, I could buy a lot of funerals,” Nutting said.