ROCKLAND, Maine (VillageSoup) — The Rockland man whose actions led to a school lockout Tuesday, May 29, said voices in his head told him to "go shoot up a school."
Police conducted a search at the man's home Tuesday afternoon and seized several high-powered rifles, according to Rockland Deputy Police Chief Christopher Young.
Young said an out-of-state acquaintance of the man contacted the Rockland Police Department and alerted officers to the threat made by the man.
The deputy chief said he immediately contacted the Knox County Sheriff's Office to make sure that there were sufficient officers to guard each school in Rockland. Once officers were in place, police went to the man's residence, where he was found.
The man said voices in his head told him to shoot up a school.
He was taken into protective custody by police and then taken to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport for a mental health evaluation. The deputy chief said if the man is determined to be able to be released from the psychiatric unit, he will immediately be charged with a crime.
A police officer will remain at Pen Bay until it is known whether the man is committed to the hospital. His name is not yet being released, since he has not been charged with a crime.
Police seized eight guns altogether -- two shotguns, five high-caliber hunting rifles, and a sixth rifle. Young said the department had a prior contact with him but he has never been charged by the agency. The deputy chief said he did not know details of the other contact but that officers knew the man.
Officers responded Tuesday morning to Oceanside High School, South Elementary School and the regional Mid-Coast School of Technology, all located in Rockland.
Read the full story at knox.villagesoup.com
