Lincolnville man charged following overnight police standoff

Thu, 08/20/2020 - 1:45pm

    LINCOLNVILLE — Three law enforcement agencies spent the overnight hours in a standoff in Lincolnville, involving a man accused of holding his partner at gunpoint.

    William Deane, 44, of Lincolnville, has several charges pending following the overnight standoff with law enforcement, though he remains hospitalized due to an overdose, according to Waldo County Sheriff Jeffrey Trafton.

    The call came into dispatch around 9:11 p.m., according to Trafton, who said that the victim was able to alert staff at a local convenience store that she was being held against her will. The man, later identified as Deane, reportedly held the woman at gunpoint during their time in the vehicle. Deane stayed behind in the vehicle while the victim went into the store, where she asked employees to call the police. The victim suffered minor injuries during the incident, Trafton said. 

    The woman remained in the store awaiting police arrival, while Deane eventually left. Both Belfast Police and the Waldo County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene. 

    After leaving the store, Deane reportedly traveled back to his residence in Lincolnville, where deputies arrived shortly after. When deputies approached, Deane went inside the residence and refused to come out.

    “It was reported that he had held a firearm on the victim during traveling in the vehicle and at the store, so we knew he had a weapon,” Trafton said, adding that the weapon was a rifle.

    Law enforcement was able to make contact with Deane via phone and had several conversations with him during the confrontation, though he still refused to exit the residence. 

    Given that Deane was armed, the Maine State Police Tactical Unit was called to assist at the scene, Trafton said. 

    Eventually, in the early morning hours, law enforcement lost contact with Deane, leading police to further investigate. Deane was discovered unconscious, requiring treatment with Narcan to be revived. He was transported to Waldo County General Hospital where he is considered in police custody. According to Trafton, Deane has several charges pending against him, though he did not have a list of charges at the time. 

    “The officers are still collecting information and preparing the case,” he said. 

    Meanwhile, Lincolnville Fire Department and North East Mobile Health Services remained near the scene as support. Route 52 remained closed to traffic through the night until approximately 7 a.m.

    A search warrant was served on the residence this morning, where the gun in question was recovered.

    Narcan is the name brand of naloxone, a medication used to reverse the effects of opioid intoxication. 


    Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com