JAY, Maine — A former Verso mill worker who held the mill manager hostage for 10 hours Wednesday surrendered peacefully at 6:30 p.m. and was taken to the Franklin County jail, Maine State Police said.
Frank Smith, 49, of Norridgewock was charged with creating a police standoff and kidnapping. Police said he was armed with a shotgun when he stormed the administrative building at about 8:30 a.m.
Sources inside the mill said Smith was fired six months ago for spraying a co-worker in the face with a hose.
Police said Smith held mill manager Marc Connor, 43, at gunpoint inside his office in the administration building of the mill off Riley Road from about 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The hostage release came after Smith spoke for several hours with Maine State Police negotiators, who responded to the incident along with the State Police Tactical Team, according to a release issued by the state police at about 4:30 p.m.
The mill’s communication manager, Cherilee Budrick, told reporters gathered outside the main gate Wednesday morning that all of the mill’s employees were safe.
Those working the first shift at the mill were kept inside while workers set to start the second shift at 5:30 p.m. were asked to report to Murray Hall in Livermore.
After Smith surrendered, first-shift workers were released and second-shifters were allowed to enter the mill. State police said the workers were never in direct danger during the standoff.
“That was one of the major concerns throughout the day,” Maine State Police Lt. Walter Grzyb said. “They were safe. They were locked down. We had a very good perimeter set up that detained the suspect to one area.”
The mill was in lockdown during the standoff but work continued, although trucks delivering pulp and wood chips were not allowed to enter the grounds and were lining up. Some waited several hours before leaving with their loads.
Budrick told reporters earlier in the day that the incident was isolated to the administration building and that Maine State Police were handling the situation.
A source told the Sun Journal that the ordeal started when Smith snuck into the mill through the wood gate — where the trucks come in for deliveries — and then broke down the administration building door, first taking a secretary hostage and then releasing her when the mill manager came in.
A pickup truck loaded with several police officers in militarylike uniforms and carrying assault firearms entered the mill’s front gate at about 10:15 a.m., according to a reporter on the scene.
Local schools also were put under lockdown and students were released early.
At least two reporters — one from the Sun Journal and one from WGME — lost access to their vehicles when state police widened the perimeter after the reporters had parked.
The reporters were not able to retrieve their vehicles until the standoff was over.
Shortly before 7 p.m., Grzyb and Jay police Chief Larry White addressed the knot of reporters just outside the perimeter, advising them that it was over.
“It’s been a long day,” White said.
Good luck to all involved. ope this has a safe outcome for all.
I feel bad for the poor person. He got to a low point and is reaching out. I hope he gathers himself and realizes this is not the way to go. Talk it out, kid’.
It’s good he let it go but, his life is over either way.
yes, one way or the other, it will never be the same.
He was reaching out? Give me a break. Common criminal, no different than a Bangor Bath Salter.
Yah, he obviously had issues to begin with as spraying someone in the face with a hose at work doesn’t make for a very nice person.
My understanding is that it was a pressurized hydro silica hose. That stuff is serious.
You should know the whole story… He sprayed the guy yes but only after the guy hosed him down twice while he was trying to do his job
We didn’t know that at the time of the first printing, though Bill. You’re probably right as far as a “CC”. But it does look like it was talked out to an extent and he realized it was not the way to go. In situations like this, the out come could have been disastrous.
Yeah, me too….I ALWAYS feel bad for lowlife slimeballs who hold innocent victims hostage at gunpoint.
This is just so scarey. You never know how someone’s mind is working when it comes to being layed off. You try and work with people but sometimes nothing helps. My husband is a manager at a manufacturing facility and things like this are always in the back of my mind.
He wasn’t laid off. According to the article, he was fired.
He was not laid off, he was fired. Long story from what i am hearing about him. He needs serious help
Hope everything works out well for everyone involved….wonder if when this employee was let go if he was shown some respect and decency, or was he thrown away like yesterdays trash?
Blaming the hostage?
Not at all…trying to understand what caused the poor guy to be driven to this. Wondering if there was something that could have been done differently beforehand. This person will now end up either in jail or dead….
Is it just me or does it look like there’s too much early guessing going on here and the news is blowing this out of proportion. Afterall, nothing exciting ever happens in Maine so they gotta bend the truth and create drama through “we think he might have a shotgun” comments and such. If the Communications manager of the mill says everyone’s fine what’s the sense in going media crazy about this exactly? /facepalm
WOW!
{Radio traffic from local police indicated the man may have a shotgun with him.}
{ The mill was in lock-down mode but work was continuing }
Stephen McCausland has been a very busy man these past few months. Hope you take some time off and get some R&R.
Hope this turns out for the best. Is it in the best interest to bring a concealed weapon to the work place? Situations like this could get in the wrong hands and could be a blood bath in the work place. We all want a safe place to work at. If anyone sees a disgruntled employer tell people. Even if someone is having a bad day people need to be aware.
Oh, yeah, see someone not smiling and laughing and that’s a reason to tell “authorities” on them?
Good grief. Spying and reporting on neighbors was encouraged in Nazi Germany, but I hope, unless something or someone is obviously dangerous, we can manage to keep our live and let live culture.
Heck, its encouraged here.
Yes – report all suspicious activity to authorities, if possible check peoples trash, eavesdrop or snoop to find information. Expect all to fully obey all laws and to respect government and government officials . The authorities are beyond reproach they will help you and serve and protect your interests. Be a good citizen
Thanks for the reminder, George Orwell. Maybe we should start checking LePew’s trash.
They don’t call ’em “drones” for nothin’.
Situations like this is the exact reason why it has been made legal to have a firearm in a worker’s personal vehicle.
I know at least one man who works there and I am praying everyone comes out of this unharmed.
Why is it that past employees are always concidered Disgruntled??? If you are a whistle blower, their defence is you are a Disgruntled employee. It is a weird word, when there are other words to use like Crazed, insane, I know he is a nice guy and you found the most fitting word to use.. yet disgruntled sounds like a ribid dog.
It IS a strange word!
Do you supose he was ‘gruntled’ before he became Disgruntled?
Hey genius, learn the definitions of the words and synonyms!
Disgruntled – displeased and discontented; sulky; peevish
Synonyms – grouchy, testy, sullen, grumpy, dissatisfied.
Now the other 2 you say, crazed and insane are one in the same
Crazed – insane; demented; suffering loss of emotional control;
Insane – not sane; not of sound mind; mentally deranged; utterly senseless;
Synonyms – demented, lunatic crazed, crazy, maniacal, foolish, irrational.
You ask my disgruntled? I’d gather because the person was displeased and discontent with his loss of employment. Why not use the words crazed or insane. Well i know don’t believe in this but those words would need factual evidence to back up such a claim. It would take ones opinion to use such a word to describe the man. You may not agree but the BDN used the English language correctly and you cant understand why they didn’t do something different.
Your explaination has been recieved. Thank you for taking time out to educate me and not charging me a fee for it. I know your time is limited because of the busy schedule you keep which warms my heart that you took time out for me.. sincerly D-V-G
hitler was an anti union conservative- get a clue
Actually he was a national socialist, not much different than the communist socialists.
some conservatives call them selves patriots–it doesnt make it so
That is probably true but I suspect the percentage of those who are not is far lower than those liberals who claim the same but are not.
your suspicions are incorrect like many of your posts–and don’t talk about historical fact, you just don’t have,…the facts
Empty assertions don’t carry any weight.
neither do empty posts
Hitler was, by the way, a Fascist, not a Socialist.
You are demonstrating your utter lack of historical fact.
Liberals don’t read history books and especially not older or original works.
They do read revisionist history like Howard Zinn. Remember Michelle Obama telling us we would have to rewrite our history.
He was a Fascist who used the Socialist Party as a Stepping Stone Once he was elected he did what he wanted and then took total control.
You are wrong as well. I recommend you spend some time studying the rise of the Third Reich and it’s similarities with its nemesis, the Soviet Communists. Both depended on full totalitarian state control. Everybody was subservient to the state. They shared a grave propensity for violence and extreme anti-Semitism. The original “brown shirts” were very active socialist oriented extremists who were only eliminated because of questionable loyalties to the personal reign of the Nazi upper hierarchy.
The only real distinction between a Fascist and a Communist is the length of time in power.
They are all jerk offs
Useless to argue this with the lefties. They simply will not read historical documents and learn for themselves the truth.
Defining Fascism has always been a problem for historians who wish to simply pigeonhole any political movement as simply right or left. Fascism took ideas from both the left and right. The major component from the far right was nationalism. The racism usually associated with fascism was a major component of German, or Nazi, fascism. The Italian version of fascism, where it actually started, was far less racist. The interesting thing is that the rabid racism of Nazi Germany was based, (justified), on eugenics. Eugenics was an idea that came from progressives on the left.
Fascism actually grew from the same roots as communism and drew from the same group of people. Both drew heavily from people in trade unions. The reason that once they came to power the fascists quickly attacked the communists has nothing to do with having an opposite political philosophy. It was entirely do to the fact that the communists were their chief competition for members and threat to taking power. The only major difference between the two was the communist belief that the revolution should be international and abolish national boundaries while Fascists were obsessed with nationalism. The same logic was behind the attacks on unionism as well because many leaders in the unions had strong ties or at least leaned in favor of the communists.
You do have to remember that the majority of historians over the last hundred years have had strong progressive leanings. Progressives in the 20’s and 30’s extolled the virtues of fascism. But after world war II and the atrocities of the Nazi’s became public progressives were faced with distancing themselves from fascism. They chose the easiest path. Ignore all fascist connections with progressives and socialism and concentrate on factors associated with the right.
Good post …
Even a cursory examination of both the Nazi and Fascist beginnings show the strong linkage to socialist ideologies. Mussolini began his political endeavors as a committed socialist and evolved those ideas into the theory of the supremacy of the State. Hitler took it even further and created the supreme leader. Actually all totalitarians create “supreme leader” cultures to one degree or another including the communists and I suppose even our arrogant, overrated President.
Thank you – informative, accurate and well written post !
Breathtaking ignorance of history
blame Bush LOL … JHC that is tired but keep it up. It pushes people in the conservative vote column.
Just like all those dummies who still blame Hitler for the Holocaust.
LOL
I am trying to determine if you are serious or just plain nuts.
Confused, eh?
Unsurprising
I suppose it would be natural to suffer some confusion at the remarks of a holocaust denier.
A “Holocaust denier?”
I recommend “The Kindly Ones” as a bit of spring reading for you.
You won’t get past the first forty pages.
Nuts think they are serious.
Hitler was an extreme Right-wing fascist Nazi. Don’t let your prejudices get in the way of truth, like too many do today.
I didn’t know he was right wing? I am glad to know that you have absolutely no prejudices here!
reality, what a concept
from an analysis of ones of beck’s inanities
“The liberal and conservative movements of today are distinct from the beliefs and policies of Hitler’s Nazi-era regime. Beck only distorts the historical record by arguing Hitler was somehow more progressive or liberal than conservative. In anything an analysis of all of Hitler policies resemble more of an extreme far-right ideology than anything else.
Good grief. It really is too bad that Americans are among the most politically ignorant people among the world’s developed countries.
Please read up what is right-wing and what is left-wing. Many do not consider it an insult to be considered right-wing, nor others if they are called left-wing.
Re Hitler – here’s a quote from just one online source:
“Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist or the Nazi party represented extreme Right wing politics. One has to look no further than the fact that some of the first actions Hitler took were to get rid of the Leftist Socialists & Trade Unions, to the modern day Right Wing Neo-Nazis.”
There’s lots more discussion, with some elements saying he tended towards the left-wing, but this is spurious in my opinion.
He believed certain peoples were inferior and either imprisoned or killed them, e.g., communists and socialists – certainly left-wing, trade unionists, Jews, Polish people, Romany people, Black people, and he considered Irish and certain other nationalities to be inferior, as well.
You might possibly, maybe, perhaps notice similiarities between that thinking and the extreme right-wing elements ridiculing people who aren’t just exactly like themselves in American politics today.
Hitler was certainly not left wing but he was also not in any manner a conservative, free market ideologue. Fascists and Communists share a common bond through their socialism albeit coming from polar directions. Both versions of socialist ideology resulted in the murder of millions as any unbridled socialist regime is ought to do, whether Fascist or Communist. Both rely on totalitarian control by the state.
wrong as usual. but don’t let facts get in your way
Your description is quite wrong, but too complicated to go into nuances here.
You’re right, though, about Hitler not being a fan of the “free market,” as if any such thing has ever existed. Never has, never will.
All sorts of restrictions are on markets all over the world – a new one today as Obama warned China on their hoarding of their mines of rare earths, which are necessary to building computers, cell phones, windmills, etc.
This country (USA) is heading towards – almost there – Mussolini’s definition of fascism, e.g., basically a government owned and controlled by the corporations. With all the corporate welfare coming out of our tax monies, and social services for real people being cut, the comparison is pretty clear.
I doubt you have the extant knowledge to continue in this discussion but to whet the appetite somewhat, I’ll demonstrate your error.
The foundation of Fascism is the conception of the State, its character, its duty, and its aim. Fascism conceives of the State as an absolute, in comparison with which all individuals or groups are relative, only to be conceived of in their relation to the State. The conception of the Liberal State is not that of a directing force, guiding the play and development, both material and spiritual, of a collective body, but merely a force limited to the function of recording results: on the other hand, the Fascist State is itself conscious and has itself a will and a personality — thus it may be called the “ethic” State…. – Benito Mussolini, 1932
The relationship of the business community with Germany’s ruling Nazi hierarchy was one of forced compliance and personal survival. All business heads were subject to the dictates of the State in all matters. To help you grasp the significance of this issue I recommend “The Arms of Krupp – 1587-1968” by William Manchester, particularly the latter third of the book dealing with early 20th century German political powers. It is a fascinating study and one that quickly dispels your corporate mythology.
Mussolini’s definition of fascism is grounded in it’s origins and it’s symbol of the Roman totem of bound wooden sticks representing the power of imperial Rome (fasces). Business people are mere individuals intended to serve it’s imperial or Statist aims. When we examine the Statist policies of progressive liberalism, we see much the same thing albeit not yet to either extreme. Wall Street is beholden to the White House. Large campaign bundlers are the recipients of billions of dollars in slush funds distributed under the guise of “green energy” and other favored projects ranging from “infrastructure” to teacher and public service union subsidies. The IRS is being used as a weapon against political adversaries. It is all rather Nixonian in its breadth and quite consistent with the character of both poles of extremist thought.
You should begin thinking for yourself and expand your educational horizons. This is an area of study that you are not well versed in and I am. It is not a fair battle.
Nice.
Defining Fascism has always been a problem for historians who wish to
simply pigeonhole any political movement as simply right or left.
Fascism took ideas from both the left and right. The major component
from the far right was nationalism. The racism usually associated with
fascism was a major component of German, or Nazi, fascism. The Italian
version of fascism, where it actually started, was far less racist. The
interesting thing is that the rabid racism of Nazi Germany was based,
(justified), on eugenics. Eugenics was an idea that came from
progressives on the left.
Fascism actually grew from the same roots as communism and drew from the
same group of people. Both drew heavily from people in trade unions.
The reason that once they came to power the fascists quickly attacked
the communists has nothing to do with having an opposite political
philosophy. It was entirely do to the fact that the communists were
their chief competition for members and threat to taking power. The
only major difference between the two was the communist belief that the
revolution should be international and abolish national boundaries while
Fascists were obsessed with nationalism. The same logic was behind the
attacks on unionism as well because many leaders in the unions had
strong ties or at least leaned in favor of the communists.
You do have to remember that the majority of historians over the last
hundred years have had strong progressive leanings. Progressives in the
20’s and 30’s extolled the virtues of fascism. But after world war II
and the atrocities of the Nazi’s became public progressives were faced
with distancing themselves from fascism. They chose the easiest path.
Ignore all fascist connections with progressives and socialism and concentrate on factors associated with the right.
exposure to the chlorine, chemicals and dioxin in these places can affects peoples minds and health.
no, it wasn’t.
That was part of it, but the 2 largest job killers were NAFTA and GATT/WTO.
The tax breaks helped i’m sure, but the legislated ability to export jobs to other countries at a fraction of the cost, the de-regulation of trade requirements and tariffs have been the real issue.
By sending jobs to china, companies also sent our technology.
Nearly nothing is made in america anymore, and the quality of chinese goods has come a long way since the free trade agreements allowed the mass migration of industry away from the u.s.
At this point over 70% of the u.s. economy is the “service sector” such as retail, mcdonalds, human services, banking and finance, and phone support/call centers.
It is completely unsustainable and will eventually result in a collapse of our financial system once the money stops flowing to people that prop up the economy by spending.
Why do you think “holidays” like black friday are so important to our economy?
The markets react to the lack of consumer spending because that is most of our economy.
Eventually it will run out, and we will see more of these situations where people just “lose it”.
You said it, in less words then I could of, Great Job and thanks!!!!
Whether you like him or not, Donald Trump said, “We’re rebuilding China.”
and iraq, and afghanistan, and (insert other country here)
while our own country crumbles from within.
From the office of Susan Collins,
{Many American companies establish overseas operations in order to break into foreign markets, build a larger clientele for their products, and grow jobs back here in the U.S.}
I read that to mean that if they go overseas and raise their standard of living by making our products for us the company will be able to sell them the product also!
But not until Our Standard of living has been brought down to theirs!
As we rebult Japan after WW 2 .
amen!!
I’m sorry, but how does “NAFTA” cause jobs to go to China? Canada’s economy is much like the US, and in fact the majority of items imported from Canada were duty free to begin with (paper, lumber, logs, etc…). Prior to NAFTA, the US and Canada had a free trade agreement. US Industry such as auto manufacturers, aerospace, etc.. move goods back and forth, and benefit both countries. What has hurt our economies is we have overpriced our manufactured goods to a point that we have a hard time selling them beyond our borders. A good example is guitars, which sell for 5 – 10 times more than guitars manufactured elsewhere in the world. Why? Same wood, same technology… It’s our labor costs, where we pay a guy $40 an hour to do a small function. We also have workers who “take their time” and thus drive up the cost of finished goods. I’m amazed by the stories of local mill workers joking about the best places to take naps during their shifts! Maybe now that we are getting hungry for good jobs, we will work good and hard to get competitive again.
“It’s our labor costs, where we pay a guy $40 an hour to do a small function. ”
**************************************************************
While we pay a guy $40 million to sit at a desk.
where do I get the $40/hr job?
The Maine turnpike authority has a vacancy.
$40/hr + fringe. The fringe is unmarked gift cards in small denominations.
I’m not disagreeing on that either! Our CEOs make way to much money… Why companies feel they have to pay these guys so much money is beyond understanding. But it’s that way, even at failing businesses….
My friends Ford Focus was Made in Mexico.
Or did you conveniently forget that NAFTA includes mexico as well?
there was not true free trade there read the fact??
companys have move because of high taxes way back around 1300;s come read your history
How do you know why he was let go? Your crystal ball???? Stop making believe you know what’s going on.
I don’t know what’s going on, except that this guy lost his job (like so many people of recent) and that he’s gone nuts.
As Gerald Celente said:
“When people lose everything, and they have nothing left to lose, they lose it!”
Maybe he’s “nuts”, and because of that he lost his job. Story says he was “fired”, not laid-off.
some people use fire and laid-off as if they are the same thing. to me one is fired for not working as expected by the boss and laid off is when there isn’t enough work for the person to do. The boss wants to keep the person but can’t afford to.
or laid them off so they do not need to pay there high wage and only pay part timers 12 ;00 to 14:00 per hour
Maybe they added it late, but it says he sprayed someone in the face with a hose and that’s why he was fired.
I have lost my job of 20 years want back to school and lost that job after 2-1/2 years then work at the bucksport mill and lost my job after 6-1/2 month but have nt done want he has done ???
The article says he was let go for spraying another employee in the face with a hose.
David, I see your comments on most articals stirring up trouble. Why don’t you get a life and leave people alone.
Why do all the cops need tactical gear and assault rifles now?
Military wannabes!
It is probably a SRT (Special Response Team) what would
previously have been known as SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics). These
officers are trained to respond to situations such as this. It is not military
wannabes, they are a tactical team that has specialized training that other
officers have not received. They have a higher success in ending these
situations in a positive manner. I am sure that you knew this answer and are
for some reason just being critical of the cops.
Actually I don’t know the answer but I have been noticing more and more of the home town boys dressing up in the tactical gear lately. I am very critical of the cops and I believe rightly so since there is no real oversight into their operations. Power corrupts and they have way too much for my taste. Think about this. Not one fatal shooting by a Police Officer on one of us has ever been questioned in the State of Maine.
Not one!
They are without error! Have you ever seen another organization with such a perfect record?
Actually every shooting that involves the police is questioned.
So you consider crazed individuals threatening others as, “one of us”. I’ll distance myself from your group, thank you.
Sounds like if a cop was killed in these violent situations every once in a while, you’d feel things would be a little fairer between cops and those who threaten them and the public.
Do you know how many times a year a Maine cop could have used deadly force and didn’t for one reason or another?
What I know is that they get to investigate themselves and they never find themselves in the wrong. How many times would we find ourselves in the wrong if we investigated our own lapses in judgement?
As for who is us and who is them, considering that they get to tell the press what the details of every shooting are I guess you are just willing to take their word for it.
I assure you that if you ever end up with a throw down laying beside your dead body, you will quickly be painted as just the type of person who needed to die, and every officer responsible for putting a bullet in you as well as the ones who didn’t fire (for some reason) will fall in lock step with the exact same tale of event as the others. Since there are no persons without a stake in the story investigating it will be the only story we ever hear and we will sit at home asyou do and say “there, thank god another one of those cray people are dead”. Or at least those of us like you who believe the police really have NEVER MADE A MISTAKE will say that. I want people who are not of the good old boy club involved in every one of the good old boy shootings.
To me, the fact that the investigations showed that all (as
you imply)the fatal shootings have been found to be justified leads me to
believe that the officers acted appropriately to the training they received. If
your taste dictates that you do not like the “power” that the cops
have, you may want to look up the definition of authority. Authority is the
means in which law enforcement operate. They gained this authority when they
completed their training and took their oath of office.
I know the definition of authority and it is supposed to lie with we the people not some person you are willing to make a god because we put a little tin badge on his chest. If you believe the classes now make them infallible that only points to some really sick blind trust you have in the silly little class in Augusta. Do you also believe that Marine Corps boot camp makes Marines infallible because if you do than you have a real quandry there since I went to that school. If you don’t than you have another real quandry because the two schools are very similar.
So I guess they should have called on you to end this
situation. We the people have decided (long ago) to keep our society a lawful one
that we will have a force of enforcers of the laws that our elected officials
draft and implement. If you think that there is a better way to insure we
continue to be a lawful society, speak up. All you have is a slanted agenda
against the men and women who put their lives on the line everyday so the rest
of us can carry on our lives without threats of violence against us. The system
is surely not perfect, but is better than any alternative that I am sure you
could devise.
I’m not calling for any new system I demanding some sort of civilian oversight since Police Officers refuse to police themselves due to some BS blue line brotherhood brainwashing someone has instilled in them. They won’t even arrest fellow officers for small crimes if they can find any other way to deal with the situation. How in the world can you expect them to objectively judge an officer when he makes a much larger error and cost one of us poor un-blue people their lives? The system like any system needs proper oversight otherwise you end up with the same sort of abuses and out of control power issues as we had with the turnpike.
“How in the world can you expect them to objectively judge an officer when he makes a much larger error and cost one of us poor un-blue people their lives?”
The “poor un-blue” in every instance that I can think of in recent history here in Maine was armed and threatening either innocent bystanders or a law enforcement
officer(s). I have no sympathy for anyone who acts in this manner. If ordered by a police officer to put down a weapon, one should do so immediately or suffer the consequences. A law enforcement officer cannot afford to take chances with what the armed individual’s intentions are.
And again you point to historical details as if they were without a doubt, and in all cases facts, and not just the information the police who investigated the shootings, that were done by their fellow officers, chose to put in their reports. There are way too many of these episodes in the past that I feel don’t add up. Why would you shoot a man in a wheel chair with a knife? Just one example but the “official versions” spoon fed to us by brother officers to protect their own don’t cut it as far as I’m concerned. You on the other hand seem to feel these men would never ever lie to you. How naive are you?
Someone reported the disgruntled ex employee had a marijuans joint in his pocket.
Hence : Lockdown, misinformation from the mill and SWAT TEAM being called in.
Call me crazy but they don’t want to be out matched with weapons or get killed. Apparently you never saw the video of the bank robbers in I think California taking out cops with assault rifles a few years back. People are crazy out there and these men and women do it for a job. They should be protected to the fullest.
When the situation dictates I can see it Jim but when all that has been reported is a guy with a shotgun I can’t. Do they respond to Kittens trapped in trees with tear gas?
From what I’ve noticed over the last 40 years. The more military training, weapons, and equipment we give our police the more they tend to respond to situations as if they were military actions and not civil ones.
A man with a shotgun and a hostage does not warrant the
response of a SRT team? I cannot think of a better reason for that type of
response. Maybe you should ask the people that were being threatened by this
individual what their impression of the response was.
And quite possibly our fine officers could have accomplished the same goals with a lot less time and press coverage if they hadn’t made such a theater out of the operation. Let’s be real. 95% of these people never ever have to fire a shot from their service revolvers other than at the range and the biggest danger they are in is rapid weight gain from free doughnuts. This is one of the few chances to get on Tv while playing soldier.
From the way you have been commenting you make it sound that they have all been out there shooting it up and now you profess that they only
get to shoot at the range, which is it? What do you think, the authorities
phoned all the media outlets to let them know that there was a situation and they need to run quick so they can all be on TV ?
Actually the problem is both the fact that they don’t see the action they thought they would when they got all hyped up on becoming cops and the fact that they want to shoot it up as you say. This is why every small little tempest in a tea pot in this state ends up looking like something out of an Al Caopne take down video. Are they all trigger happy? Most likely not but the majority sure are and the rest will cover up any accidents that happen because of it.
Are you making the claim that cops don’t actively cover for the bad behavior of fellow officers?
Apparently your not a relative of a person in law enforcement. You would change your opinion quickly. The night my dad and about 30 other law enforcement officers was in a standoff with a guy in a house who was reported with a shotgun. When he was in stand off mode, taking his post, with nothing more than a .45 and 12 gauge pump was all the town carried. Ya that guy opens up on all cops and movement all around his house. Shots rang out for over 2 hours before the SWAT teamed arrived. Maybe i’m crazy but I want to see the people who are paid to protect and serve to have the upper hand on fire power with the people who just lose it and have a gun!
Not only am I a relative but I work with State, Federal and Local law enforcement on a daily basis. I get to hear their conversations about the tickets they don’t get because this “they know we’ll get them when they come through our town” I know that there are officers out there driving with a cup of “Apple Juice” in their vehicles because there is no danger of a DUI for them as there is for us. Very recently some officers caught another for DUI and their fellow officers were very unforgiving and still are for their good deed. There is nothing honoroble about the things I see and hear and that is why I want something done. The majority of our officers may be good and want to do the right thing but the system will take them down if they do. Now if you want to get into wasteful money on a Federal Law Enforcement level we can have even more fun talking about that.
Why not elaborate about the Federal Law Enforcement? You seem to have no problem talking in general terms about your accusations of the local authorities. I think that your talk is just that, talk.
Just for starters on our local Feds how many brand new tricked out vehicles do they need for this little State?
As for my talk being just talk, isn’t that what we are doing here or did you mean I might be lying? I don’t believe that you claim to know anything about law enforcement and law officers and that you can’t think of at least 100 of the types of abuses I’m mentioning here unless of course you are just one of those who refuses to go after law breakers who wear badges.
You are directly on point. That incident is the direct cause
of law enforcement becoming a more paramilitary type force. The police in that
incident had to go to a local gun store to obtain weapons that put them on a
more level playing field with the subjects that day. That in itself told
authorities that the general public was better armed than they were.
Because every other punk selling pills, beating his wife or mother, or tweeked out on bath salts has a rifle and maybe a bulletproof vest. Yeah – we should give the tactical teams muzzleloaders or paintball guns. This isn’t a reenactment or a bad movie – people’s lives are on the line for crying out loud. Cops deserve the same advantage as private citizens. They are not using full auto machine guns which is what “assault rifle” implies. Civilian copies of military rifles are all semiauto.
These are civil issues not military ones and the more you train and equip our police like the military the more they are going to respond like a military force.
Does anyone know if this is still ongoing? I missed the news
{ Hostage released but disgruntled Verso worker still in standoff with police }
He’s going for a second shift
they sound like latent republicans.
Situations like these are exactly why people should be allowed to have a weapon in their vehicle at their place of work. Otherwise, everyone would be helpless with no way of defense.
What good will it do you locked in your vehicle a half mile away????????????
Read the news. The economy is recovering.
These news feeds are lies fed to the press by the Obama admin.. There are no real reporters left.. Where have you been???
Ya, and you can magically tell all this just by sitting in your armchair. You’re the one with no credibility.
You really think all reporters just follow wiley niley? I don’t
You can ‘read the news’ and believe it blindly if you wish, but here in the real world the dollar is crumbling, and no amount of quantitative easing will cause me to believe a talking head over personal observation and logic. If the ‘economy is recovering’ so well why are food prices rising? Why is the standard of living of the vast majority of American citizens in steady decline? The statistics of propaganda only fool those who lack the wit and motivation to find the truth for themselves.
Income trends among 90% of Americans are relatively unchanged over the last decade. Nearly all segments of the population are moving relatively in proportion. Which is to say, they’re barely moving at all.
But look at the top 10th percentile and a different story begins to emerge. The super wealthy are getting much richer, as everyone else’s incomes are practically stagnant.
In 2009, the richest 10% of Americans accounted for about half the nation’s wealth. Narrow that focus a bit further, and the trend is even more alarming. The top 0.1% — those who make at least $2 million each year — controlled 10% of the economy.
That’s a far cry from the 1950s, when the suburban American dream ruled: the bottom 90% of Americans controlled about 68% of the economy
As a result, the financial industry became increasingly powerful, leading to a self-reinforcing race for more profits that brought about a new era of financial innovation and extreme risk-taking.
The result was an economy controlled by the wealthy, or so-called “plutonomy,” as three Citigroup analysts described in 2005.
“The world is dividing into two blocs — the plutonomies, where economic growth is powered by and largely consumed by the wealthy few — and the rest,” the analysts wrote in a controversial research reportthats why the middle class is losing–better stock up on the wit and motivation
How does anything in either of your paragraphs indicate the economy is recovering, the fact that the rich are getting richer or that the middle class is stagnating?
If anything you have just proven my point to a further degree.
smoke and mirrors, dont believe everything you read especially when it comes from our government ! PROPAGANDA !
Help me out here. A guy takes a gun and holds people hostage, and you blame the federal government?
Read down through these comments and “listen” to yourselves!! You are just using this forum as a way of being a bully.
This is why BDN should not allow comments at all!!!
Yes, shut down all comments on here.
Great idea.
Move to Russia or China, pal.
Went from the article of a standoff at a Jay mill to a political debate.
Most news items usually do. I have watched many articles turn to blame for one political party or another. This one most likely will evolve into a gun control / 2nd ammendment issue and the republicans will be blamed for their constitutional support or the democrats will be criticized for blaming easy access to guns.
Actually it was the American people, that wanted cheap/less expensive products, that drove companies to find cheaper ways to manufacture products.
This hits the nail right on the head. We as Amercians felt like we had to have the best products in the world and at the cheapest prices. Then many of the most established brand names (electronics manufacturers, auto makers, etc) moved their manufacturing plants to Mexico because labor was cheaper there. [In a huge bit of irony, those Mexican workers also had the same things happen to them that happened to the American workers when the Mexican plants closed and those products began to be made in Asian countries].
Moving the factories to other countries put the American workers out of work and therefore unable to buy the products they’d been buying in the past.
Now we’re becoming a service industry country with the (sorry but this is true) the 1% gaining wealth and the middle class factory workers disappearing. This works very well for the 1% but kinda sucks for the factory workers – and the country – who were the economic backbone of the country.
Had we as Americans been a bit less greedy we could have had it both ways. We could have had the American jobs AND the money to buy the American made products.
Think “Wal-Mart” :-((
Just how does that apply to all the postal workers that gave this syndrome its popular nick name? This has been going on everywhere and for years. The guy was fired for probably a good reason. If not, then he should go to the labor board. Besides, Maine’s unemployment rate is well below the national rate.
what do you call well below 8% not 9%????
Do you have inside information or you just speculating and trying to fit this into your own worldview somehow?
It’s stories like this that are so devoid of details that utterly disappoint me. Who is holding whom hostage? Why is he disgruntled? If he was fired, why was he fired? Can you quote any statements from this person to make the story interesting to readers? When a newspaper costs $1 per copy and I can get a sneak preview online, pique my interest or I won’t fork over the dollar to read more.
Why does every single comment section devolve into political name calling? There is a man’s life at stake here…grow up.
I hope all is well at this point in the day.
“appears to be an early morning standoff and hostage situation”
“But the mill’s communication manager Cherilee Budrick told reporters
gathered outside the main gate that all employees were safe.”
That’s rather contradictory unless the reporter knows that a non-employee is being held hostage.
EDIT: So now the story is updated and says there really is a hostage.
actually , when republicans blame the poor economy on bush and republican policy, he’s easy to talk about.
from a previous report, guess I’ll listen to one of the ones that started this mess rather than you economic geniuses “David Stockman, President Ronald Reagan’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, explained in an op-ed piece, “Four Deformations of the Apocalypse,” exactly how the economic decisions of the GOP over the past 40 years, is destroying not just the economy and capitalism, but the America dream”
I can’t believe this quote. “the mill was in lock-down mode but work was continuing” just keep working boys, he’ll run out of ammo soon.
My thoughts exactly. I am beginning to think this is handled poorly. “Everyone keep working, there is a hostage situation involving a former worker in the office, but hey the trucks are not coming in, the schools are locked down but keep working!”
If it was that bad you think they would be working on evacuations or another option to end this. I just don’t get how anyone is safe, apparently they are contradicting the matter if they put schools in a lock down too.
Hey, didn’t the band keep playing on the Titanic too?
for about the past 20 years through both democrapic and republicant presidents/administrations.
Don’t bother to presume anything. We all presume that you are speaking out of an orifice that isn’t used for those purposes.
Encourage.
Cleanearth?
You have way more patience than I have.
Or maybe you are just new here :)
WABI is reporting the gunman has released the hostage he held for 8 hours unharmed. Police continue to negotiate with the gunman. If he has no hostages now, I say just shoot the SOB
Hitler hated liberals. Read some of his writing before vomiting out your nonsense. He hated everyone who was not blond and blue eyed.
Hitler also hated conservatives.
keep it in lock down mode all the time if thats what makes em work !
You have absolutly NO idea what you are talking about!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M17UDvvORJQ
If it was in Millinocket I’d say who cares. But if this mill makes TP for My BH I care.. (-,
Goes to show….you need to treat people better or it could be you next someone is going postal on for being selfish and mean.
Goes to show, you shouldn’t hire nutjobs…
probably they got promised a full time job and worked 12 hours a day 7 days a week for 6 months and then got laid off due to lack of work. Then the company hired new folks 2 weeks later and never called any of the laid off folks back first. Welcome to the right to work state where senority means nothing.
Our current Democratic leader’s broken campaign promises
”
I will have transparency
I will cut the deficit in half
I will change the Washington culture of corruptionI will reach across the isleI will have no earmarks in stimulusI will have transparency in White House emails (except mine)I will demand human rights for China and Tibet
I will put legislation on Internet for all to read before votesI will have honest advisers
….
the list goes on, really.
Thanks liberals!
Not sure where you got your list, but a lot of it is pure hooey
For example: Do explain how the executive branch could put bills not yet through the legislative branch online?
Oh yeah – they can’t.
The rest of it is full of stuff that sounds like made up Beck rants.
http://obamalies.net/list-of-lies
Cute. Link to a nasty hate site. Now I need a shower after clicking.
Here’s a real list with citations. Real citations, not back to slime-balls like Limbaugh.
http://pleasecutthecrap.typepad.com/main/what-has-obama-done-since-january-20-2009.html
This is just the beginning, workers everywhere are tired of no loyalty from their employers! Yes i read the story where it said he was fired because he sprayed a co-worker in the face with a hose , im willing to bet we dont know the whole story and like most places of employment there is very little justice. I would be willing to bet he had enough crap from the employee that he sprayed the hose on !
Frankly, I’m surprised this sort of thing hasn’t happened sooner in Maine. With corporate greed running rampant across this country, many hard working people feel dismayed and in shock when they awake in the morning to find that their pension funds have been raided over night. Stealing by large corporations seems to be allowed by our government. Just look at gas prices, now that’s corporate greed. If I were a gas exec, I’d look into hiring a few extra body guards. People are angry and rightfully so. I don’t condone what happened here, but folks, this is a wake up call. I don’t yet sleep in a tent, but if I did, I would certainly look into why big profits don’t take care of their own.
Do you even know how much of that gasoline price is federal and state taxes? Do you know what the crude oil cost per gallon of refined gasoline is? Please tell us what the price would be if we take away the profit. We pay lower prices than people in a lot of other countries and that’s the way it’s been for years. I suppose you would be happy if they knocked all the tank truck drivers and refinery workers down to minimum wage with no benefits. That might take a few cents off the price. Last time I looked some mom and pop stores were getting out of the gasoline business. That’s because the profit margin is too small for anybody who doesn’t have a credit line. Try it yourself – writing checks that won’t bounce for over $3k in order to make about $200. I suppose you think these people should also give up their profit. You deserve the clueless award.
Gas tax adds 47.9 cents per gallon (28.5 cents for Maine Gas Tax, 18.4 cents for Federal Gas Tax) and that has not changed in years. Do not blame the high cost of gas on Federal and state gas taxes. It just is not true.
Read it again. I wasn’t blaming it on the taxes. Just asking the clueless poster if he knows things like this. Corporate greed is not the reason for high gasoline prices. They would be cutting their own throats.
This seems to be pretty fair and accurate and might inform you. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-consumption/gas-price1.htm
““The main reason U.S. companies are reluctant to step up hiring is scant demand, …” This is correct and the reason for the scant demand is because the American workers no longer have the income to buy the products since THEIR jobs have been sent overseas.
he got fired for spraying someone in the face with a hose and then he gets a hair across his butt months later and does this they should have shot him and saved the state some money now he gets housed in prison for the next ten years or more
Glad no one was hurt
with the times the way they are must of us are about 4 paychecks from bankruptcy at any one time.It could happen to anyone, desperation can make good people do bad things.
OMG I love the pictures of the “SWAT” team in the back of the truck. I guess it’s a step up from a covered wagon!
I feel bad for the people that work there now they have to change the way the do there jobs every day just because one screw off cant accept the punishment for doing something stupid. No one has the right to put people through that!
So despite the usually colorful comments….it wasn’t NAFTA, Greenhouse Gases, George Bush, Obama, Justin Beiber or whatever conspiracy theory of the day is…the guy is a disgruntled loser, period. Gotcha!
If you spotted any political correctness in my comment, please ignore it
not that is what kept the one here that we still have
At least two reporters — one from the Sun Journal and one from WGME —
lost access to their vehicles when state police widened the perimeter
after the reporters had parked.
The reporters were not able to retrieve their vehicles until the standoff was over.
“It’s been a long day,” White said.
wow.
Sad but aleast no one got hurt. I feel very sad for the man to think he has to go to that point. Maybe someone can reach out to him and show him a different life. Life goes on even when you think you hit rock bottom. I will pray that you will get the proper help. Try to put this behind you and start all over.
Doesn’t anybody *proofread* at the BDN? The manager wasn’t held hostage for ten hours.
How are “all of the employees safe” when one employee is being held at gunpoint???
Nice job law enforcement officers. Congratulations all around on a peaceful solution to this situation.
The economic enviroment in this country will create more of these issues… This is what happens with change and hope the Obama way!!!
Just think, now the mill manager can follow suit of the Virginia Tech Verdict yesterday and sue the mill for not notifying him that this was going to happen. One bright side is he can now retire. Don’t get me wrong this was a horrific thing for the manager and I’m sure it could scar him for life. I am being sarcastic about the verdict yesterday and once again point out that nobody in this country is liable for their own actions.
so you think that VT’s response to the initial murders in the dorms was appropriate?
there’s something wrong with you, seek help.
VT’s response was not appropriate based upon the the end result. This was a situation that was beyond anybody’s control and comprehension. You find somebody murdered in a dorm you have no indication that the murderer would then proceed to the campus and do what he did. My point is VT could have helped prevent what happened but ultimately are not the ones to blame. If the suspect was the son of a Saudi Prince you would see the blame put elsewhere – where it belongs.
Actually it’s because you and the rest of us are willing to buy products made overseas ! Blame it on who you want but be honest about it !
Do you actually think that the new Obamacare legislation requiring business to buy insurance will not send some of these jobs elsewhere. I have a gently pre loved vehicle I’d like to sell you !
You ship for Walmart ?
There should be several men in that mill doing some serious soul searching today. Think twice before you make it a sport to pick on, needle or otherwise harass a coworker. This might never have happened if YOU had acted differently. How far can you drive someone before its too far? He will be held accountable for his actions. Your conscience will hold you accountable.
A family friend
Glad this turned out ok .