Steven Coy has been described as society’s worst nightmare. He has a history of raping, robbing and assaulting strangers. He is classified as an extremely high risk to the community.

Yet, his relatives who live in Maine insist there is more to the man.

“He has a loving side, believe it or not,” said Coy’s aunt, who did not want to be identified.

Others find that impossible to believe.

Coy, 39, was one of two inmates who held two corrections officers captive in a landmark standoff at a state prison in Arizona. As part of the deal to let the guards go, he and another inmate asked to be transferred to a different prison.

In the end, they got what they wanted. Coy is being sent to a Maine prison, perhaps by the end of the week. The decision does not sit well with everyone here.

“Since when do hostage-takers get to call the shots?” said Guy Mahon, a former police detective who lives in Auburn. “I don’t understand it. It’s just wrong.”

Investigators say a female guard at the Arizona prison was sexually assaulted during the ordeal. The revelation reflects on Coy’s violent past.

The crimes that sent the Lewiston native to prison include robbing an 84-year-old nun at gunpoint, shooting a store clerk in the stomach and raping a 34-year-old shopkeeper in the back of her store.

“It’s become a vicious cycle. All these sex offenders are coming to Maine,” Mahon said. “It’s just going to create more hostility in this state.”

Coy left Maine for the West Coast when he was a young teen, but many of his relatives, including his father, still live in the area.

Some relatives said Wednesday they are happy that he will be returning to Maine.

“I’m hoping that now he’ll be able to get some help for his problems,” said his aunt. “Now, he’s going to have support. Being down there, he had nothing.”

Coy’s aunt said Coy lived with her for a couple years when he was a teenager. She described him as a sweet, talented kid with obvious mental problems.

“I thought he had conformed to prison life,” the aunt said. “Every time he got out, he went back in. Prison is all he knows.”

Court and jail officials in Maine said nobody is happy when a violent convict comes to this state. However, they insist the practice of inmate swapping between states is commonplace. And the Supermax prison in Warren is well equipped to deal with the likes of Coy.

“It’s an extremely secure facility,” said Androscoggin County Jail Capt. John Lebel. “As long as we don’t endanger the safety of guards or other offenders, it’s not a big concern.”

As part of the deal, Arizona prison officials agreed to take one of Maine’s violent sexual predators in exchange for accepting Coy.

“It’s a pretty common practice in the prison system,” said Mike Simoneau, a probation officer and sex offender specialist in Auburn. “We’ve already got some pretty violent people of our own in the prisons here.”

While some suggested giving in to Coy’s demands was akin to negotiating with terrorists, others said the ploy helped resolved the standoff without more violence. Now, Coy needs to be out of Arizona while prison officials there sort out new charges against him.

“We’re trying to help relieve the pressure in their facility,” Lebel said. “Someday, we may need them to do something similar for us.”

Coy’s aunt believes the entire hostage situation could have been avoided if Coy received more rehabilitation while he was in prison. She also said she doubts Coy had much to do with planning the prison revolt.

“I know the Steven that nobody else knows,” she said. “Steven was never a leader. He was a follower.”

Two of Coy’s great uncles also said they were happy to hear that Coy is coming back to Maine.

“He’s better off here than he is down there,” said Gilbert Coy, who lives in Durham.

Gilbert Coy said he hasn’t seen his great nephew in decades, but he had heard that he was serving time in a “rough” prison.

Harold Coy, another great uncle, also hasn’t seen Coy since he was a young boy. He remembered him as a courteous kid who loved girls.

“I want him to know that his Uncle Harold loves him and cares about him,” he said.

Coy’s father, William, lives in Poland. He could not be reached Wednesday. Other relatives declined to comment.