WINTER HARBOR, Maine — An Ohio man allegedly carrying semi-automatic handguns and body armor in his pickup truck was arrested at gunpoint by park rangers Saturday afternoon on the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park.
According to court documents, Kirill Novikov, 52, of Gahanna, Ohio, refused an order by a park ranger to stop and lie on the ground, and a ranger then subdued him with a Taser.
Rangers came upon Novikov near an old ranger cabin on Schoodic Head Road, Deputy Chief Ranger Darren Belskis wrote in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Bangor. Novikov appeared anxious and confused and told them he was having an intestinal issue and couldn't find a bathroom, Belskis wrote.
Shortly afterward, Belskis and Ranger Dwayne Gruver found a gray pickup truck with a handgun allegedly in plain sight under the center armrest.
As Belskis questioned Novikov, he allegedly tried to run and ignored Gruver's shouts to stop. Belskis subdued him with a Taser just before 4 p.m., he wrote.
Wardens subsequently found a Ruger MK III Hunter .22-long-rifle-caliber handgun, a Taurus PT92 AFS 9mm handgun, and a KelTec Sub2000 9mm pistol-caliber carbine in the rented pickup truck, along with additional magazines and ammunition, hard body armor plates, "homemade" firearm suppressors, and an open container of Seagrams Escapes Peach Bellini.
According to court documents, he was charged with possession of a weapon, possession of a loaded weapon in a loaded vehicle, interfering with agency functions, and possessing an open container of an alcoholic beverage.
Novikov pleaded not guilty to all charges Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Bangor and was held without bail until a bail hearing on Wednesday.
