Armed inmate’s standoff ends peacefully Hostages freed after knifepoint ordeal at Warren prison

WARREN – Two hostages held by a knife-wielding prisoner with a high-profile criminal history were released Monday night after a seven-hour standoff at the Maine State Prison. The prisoner, Michael Chasse of Lewiston, was returned to custody, officials said.

The incident began at 2:30 p.m. inside the facility that confines the state’s most serious offenders. It was resolved at around 10 p.m. after state police tactical teams and negotiators with the Department of Corrections had spent hours at the scene.

The hostages, whose names were not released, were described by Associate Corrections Department Commissioner Denise Lord as an inmate and a staff member. Officials said the hostages suffered “minimal or no injury.”

Few details were immediately available about how the situation ended. Gov. John Baldacci said he was “thankful that the crisis has ended without loss of life.”

Emergency family contacts for the hostages were notified, and the prison was secured, officials said.

Chasse, 33, is no stranger to corrections and law enforcement officials. He was serving a 14-year sentence after being convicted in 2000 of multiple charges, including escape, burglary and aggravated assault. He escaped during the fourth day of his 1998 trial in Dover-Foxcroft for burglary and assault stemming from an incident at the home of Robert Cohen of Brewer, the brother of former Secretary of Defense William Cohen.

Chasse escaped from the custody of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department on Nov. 6, 1998, by expelling soap powder from a toilet paper tube into officers’ faces. Chasse was not shackled at the time. After fleeing on foot, Chasse broke into a home and stole a butcher knife, threatening the woman who lived in the house. Later, he stabbed Sheriff John Goggin and Deputy Dale Clukey, then fled in a stolen pickup truck. He left the truck, broke into two camps on Sebec Lake, and finally was apprehended in a canoe on the lake.

Chasse was found guilty of charges stemming from the escape in September 2000 and sentenced in April 2001.

Lord plans to hold a press briefing on the latest incident involving Chasse today, she said.

Monday’s standoff drew a swift response from prison and police officials.

“We have some individuals in the department who are specially trained for hostage crises,” Lord said.

“I have spoken with Commissioner Marty Magnusson and have great confidence in the Department of Corrections and the state police,” Baldacci said in a statement while the crisis was unfolding. “Everyone is working for a peaceful outcome to this incident.”

Lord said Magnusson was at the prison.

According to the Corrections Department, the Maine State Prison has close, medium and special management custody levels with a population capacity of 916 and a staff of 410.

At 7:30 p.m., two guards stood in front of the entrance of the facility, built in 2002.

A blue Ford Expedition was parked at the entrance to the prison access road, limiting traffic in or out to one lane.

Traffic on Route 97 outside the prison entrance was unaffected by the incident.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

gchappell@bangordailynews.net

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