March 29, 2024
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Police use tear gas to halt standoff at Swanville home

SWANVILLE – A standoff with a heavily armed man ended peacefully early Thursday when a state police tactical team used tear gas to force him from his home.

Michael Wyman, 37, of Swanlake Avenue was arrested at 1:30 a.m. and charged with domestic assault, terrorizing, reckless conduct with a firearm and criminal threatening. He was booked at the Waldo County Jail, where bail was set at $25,000. Authorities confiscated five shotguns and a quantity of ammunition from Wyman’s residence.

“I’m very glad we got him to come out peaceably,” Waldo County Sheriff Scott Story said Thursday.

Story said no one was injured during the standoff.

The incident began at 9 p.m. Wednesday when Wyman’s girlfriend called the Sheriff’s Department to report that Wyman was outside shooting a gun. Although the dispatcher asked the caller to remain on the phone, she said her boyfriend would be mad if he knew she called police and hung up, Detective Greg Stearns said in an affidavit.

Stearns reported that he interviewed the girlfriend shortly after arriving at the home. Wyman was holed up inside. Waldo County deputies and officers from the Searsport and Belfast police departments secured the area. The Belfast Fire Department cordoned off the road and redirected traffic. The state police tactical team arrived and attempted to negotiate with Wyman but he hung up the phone.

Detective Gerard Madden of the state police tactical team said the decision to use tear gas was made after Wyman ignored repeated attempts to get him to respond to negotiators.

Madden said the team tried to contact him by phone and public address system, but there was no response. After the gas was used, Wyman answered the telephone, engaged in a discussion with a negotiator and agreed to come outside. He was arrested and turned over to the Sheriff’s Department.

Stearns said the girlfriend arrived home around 6 p.m. to find Wyman intoxicated. She said Wyman began pacing back and forth from the home to the garage with drink in hand. At some point he picked up one of his shotguns, yelled to the girlfriend that she would never be able to drive his new truck again and began shooting the truck.

The girlfriend told Stearns that Wyman fired multiple shots on three or four occasions during the evening. At one point he yelled at her and threw two phones at her and told her to call the police if she wanted to. He then went outside, fired a few more shots, returned and grabbed her by the arms and demanded more alcohol. It was at that point that she called police and left the house, according to Stearns.


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