Warrant on hold for terror suspect Lincoln man currently hospitalized

LINCOLN – A local man will be charged with two counts of terrorizing for arming himself with several firearms and holding town, county and state police at bay for four hours last month, Police Chief Bill Flagg said Wednesday.

A Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office prosecutor and District Court judge have signed off on a warrant charging Richard R. Dutton, 53, of Lincoln and that warrant was returned to police, Flagg said.

“It’s our understanding that he [Dutton] remains hospitalized” since the standoff, Flagg said. “We will act upon the warrant as soon as it becomes practical to do so.”

The incident began at about 8 a.m. Dec. 17 at the man’s home, which is in the East Broadway area near Prince Thomas Park, when family members telephoned Lincoln police and expressed concerns about Dutton’s well-being and mental health.

Police arrived quickly and soon heard or heard of him making threatening statements, Flagg has said. Officers had the house under surveillance almost immediately and called the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department and Maine State Police for assistance.

About 30 police officers, including state police and the Sheriff’s Department’s special response and tactical teams, were at the scene. Town police and firefighters were about to evacuate parts of the neighborhood when Dutton surrendered.

At least one shotgun and one rifle were among the weapons police recovered, Flagg has said. The weapons were for hunting and did not seem to be stockpiled in anticipation of the incident.

Bail conditions on Dutton were not available Wednesday.

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