Bangor man taken into custody following Rockland stand-off

Sun, 02/11/2018 - 1:30pm

    ROCKLAND — A man who barricaded himself in a motel room at the Trade Winds Inn in Rockland, Sunday, Feb. 11, was taken into custody after an hours-long standoff with police.

    Around 12:45 p.m., tactical team members from the Maine State Police, which also included negotiators, along with at least one K-9, entered the man’s second-floor room, handcuffed him, and walked him to a cruiser.

    The man was then taken by Rockland Police to Penobscot Bay Medical Center for observation, as well as for a possible dog bite. He was then transported to jail. No one else was injured.

    According to Rockland Police, just after 12:30 p.m., Timothy N. St. Thomas, 61, of Bangor, was taken into custody after barricading himself in the room. St. Thomas was charged with Criminal Threatening with a Dangerous Weapon, Criminate Trespass and two counts of Disorderly Conduct.

    See our update: Bangor man charged in Rockland standoff appears in court

    Officers were called at around 7 a.m. Feb. 11 at the request of management to remove St. Thomas for being disorderly.

    Upon initial contact with St. Thomas at his room, St. Thomas threatened the officers with a walking stick by swinging the weapon at the officers and threatening body harm. He then barricaded himself in the room and refused to come out. Further attempts to make contact with St. Thomas were futile.

    Rockland Police Department was assisted by the Maine State Police Crisis Negotiating team and the Maine State Police Tactical team.  

    For more than three hours, State and local police attempted various tactics for talking the man out of his room. At one point, St. Thomas stood on the balcony, yelling and cursing at police and at Rockland in general, while bystanders looked on from other hotel rooms, the parking lot, and the street. He then waved a long pole around in a teasing, acrobatic manner for a few minutes before retreating back inside.

    Swat team members tried again to draw him to the balcony by shouting to him, offering to help him as much as possible, and reminding him of his disrespect to the badge. They also tried appealing to his sense of hunger, knowing that he hadn’t eaten in a long time. The man did not return to the balcony.

    A while later, the swat team stormed the room and took him into custody.

    This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

     


     

    Maine State Police and Rockport Police are on scene at the Trade Winds Inn, on Main Street (Route 1) in Rockland now, attempting to communicate with a man who has barricaded himself in a hotel room.

    Police converged at the Trade Winds Sunday morning around 9 a.m., as sirens screamed along local highways heading toward Rockland.

    The situation is ongoing and this story will be updated.