Police: Personal woes spurred shooter Lewiston man who injured 2 with shotgun cites woman, job troubles

LEWISTON – A Lewiston man who shot two people as they sat in a car was angry because a woman spurned him and he was fired from his job, according to a police affidavit.

Michael Heon was returned to the Androscoggin County Jail on $100,000 bail Monday after his initial appearance in District Court on two counts of attempted murder.

Police said Heon, 46, aimed a shotgun and fired from about six feet away, striking Richard Dehart, 38, and Fernande Thibodeau, 52, before fleeing in his pickup truck.

Dehart was able to drive from the scene of the Saturday afternoon shooting to a Big Apple store on Lisbon Street, where witnesses called police.

Dehart, who was wounded in the shoulder and neck, was in good condition Monday at Central Maine Medical Center.

Thibodeau, who was struck in the neck and ear by gunshot fragments, was treated at the hospital and released.

Investigators said Heon and Thibodeau had both worked at White Rock Distilleries, near the shooting scene, and were once friends. However, Heon began demanding more of a personal relationship from her, according to the police affidavit, and he was fired from his job at White Rock when he began harassing Thibodeau.

Dehart and Thibodeau live together, detectives said, and Dehart told police that Heon would drive by the couple’s home frequently and leave threatening notes there.

The shooting occurred after Dehart and Thibodeau spotted Heon in his truck and Dehart told him to stop the harassment, according to the affidavit.

“Heon stated, ‘I’ve got a gun!’ Heon was about six feet away when he raised a shotgun and pointed it at Dehart and Thibodeau. Heon then fired a single shot into the car, striking Dehart and Thibodeau,” the document said.