OXFORD COUNTY, Maine — A man facing multiple felony charges stemming from an incident Monday that ended in a police shooting and arrest in Oxford County has been ordered by a judge to undergo a mental evaluation.
Gary Porter, 37, was not present in person or by videoconference from jail Friday for his rescheduled first court appearance.
According to a report from the Sun Journal, Porter appeared to struggle staying awake during the initial appearance Wednesday, leading the judge to reschedule for Friday after appointing him an attorney.
Justin Leary, Porter's court-appointed attorney who said he met with the defendant before Friday's hearing, said Porter was not in any shape to appear in person and asked the judge to order a mental evaluation.
The prosecution agreed, and District Court Judge Peter Malia ordered the evaluation with a new initial court date rescheduled a second time for Wednesday, May 15.
A string of events that led to his arrest began Monday morning around 7 a.m., when officials with the Paris Police Department responded to a call about a "suspicious male." When officers arrived, they learned that a warrant for Porter's arrest had been issued for an outstanding felony theft, several law enforcement agencies said in a joint statement Monday evening.
Porter was brought to Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway, where he was treated and released for a condition not related to that arrest.
Paris police Chief Mike Dailey then brought Porter from the hospital to Oxford County Jail, where he managed to slip his cuffed hands from the back to the front, moved into the driver's seat, and stole the cruiser, the statement read.
Dailey was thrown from the moving vehicle in an attempt to stop Porter, according to the release.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, as well as the Maine State Police and the fire marshal's office, responded to the pursuit.
Porter crashed the police vehicle on Route 117 in Paris, allowing law enforcement to move in. According to a report by the Portland Press Herald, law enforcement officials deployed spike mats in an effort to end the pursuit.
A video shared by a witness at the scene appears to show officers firing their weapons at the vehicle Porter was in during the crash.
Eleven law enforcement officials involved in that shooting have since been identified and placed on administrative leave while the attorney general's office conducts a use-of-force investigation. Dailey was also placed on administrative leave but was not listed in the use-of-force investigation.
"Porter was struck [during the police shooting] but fled and stole an Oxford County Sheriff's police vehicle, which he crashed a short distance up the road," the joint statement issued Monday read.
At this point, officials were able to get Porter into secure custody.
Porter was then brought to a nearby hospital, where he was treated and released back into police custody, then he was brought to the Oxford County Jail.
He faces multiple charges, including two counts of theft, assault on a police officer, escape, eluding, and violation of bail.
The incident remains under criminal investigation. The use-of-force investigation is being conducted by the Maine attorney general's office.