2 lawmen linked to Maine’s deadliest shooting are vying for job as county sheriff

BAD, Maine — Two police officers who were allies when they faced tough questions about their interactions with a Army reservist who killed 18 people in deadliest shooting in Maine last year compete to become sheriff.

Neither four-term Democratic Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry nor his Republican rival, Patrol Sergeant Aaron Skolfield, want their careers to be defined by the mass shooting that also wounded 13 others. But it’s impossible to escape their connection on the cusp of a grim one-year anniversary less than two weeks before Election Day.

Skolfield was on his side criticized by Democratic Governor Janet Mills’ independent commission — and by the governor himself — for not using the so-called Maine law Yellow Flag Law to Take Robert Card into Protective Custody amid an increasingly serious mental health crisis, and begin the process of stripping him of his access to guns.

Skolfield said his hands were tied during the welfare check because Card refused to open the door: The law required a face-to-face interaction, and Skolfield said it would have been illegal to kick in the door. Card lived in Bowdoin, in Sagadahoc County. The shooting happened in Lewiston, in a neighboring county.

Merry, who as Skolfield’s boss was also under scrutiny by the independent commission, sympathized with him. “I felt I defended him to the best of my ability,” the sitting sheriff said.

The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office consists of 20 full-time law enforcement officers in a 600-square-mile county with a population of more than 37,000.

Merry previously said his current term would be his last. But the 66-year-old said he still has things to accomplish after a health setback, family loss and the tragedy in Lewiston last year.

Skolfied, in turn, suggested that it was time for Merry to step aside. He said Merry had previously said he didn’t want to be the aging law enforcement officer who didn’t know when to quit.

As sheriff, Merry served on the board of Maine Behavioral Health and worked to find a mental health liaison to share with the Brunswick Police Department. That person had already been hired at the time of the Lewiston shooting, but had not yet begun working. He now realizes that there was too much work for one person, so he is working to find someone to fill that specific role for the county.

Merry said he is working to improve services at the county jail. And he also helped establish a mental health and resilience program for officers. He hired one officer last year and is in the process of hiring two more.

Skolfield said he is pleased with the hire and that more officers are needed. However, Merry said it is difficult to justify this to county commissioners since the number of calls for service has remained relatively stable.

Darryl Groh, a Skolfield supporter who lives in his hometown, said the patrol sergeant was unfairly blamed for the Lewiston tragedy. “Aaron would do a good job. He’s a results-oriented guy,” Groh said. “He’s a straight-talking guy. He’s annoyed people in the past because he doesn’t sugarcoat things. He tells it like it is.”

Skolfield said he believes the governor politicized the race when she repeatedly singled him out during a recent press conference to discuss the independent commission’s findings, making Skolfield feel like he could more aggressively defend his actions.

The welfare check came after a warning that Card was going to “shoot up” his Army Reserve unit headquarters. But Skolfield had no information about Card’s “kill list,” the extent of his mental health crisis and the medical recommendation that he not have access to weapons when he visited Card’s home in Bowdoin. Skolfield said he thought military officials were downplaying the threat, but he took the matter seriously nonetheless and spoke with military officials, Card’s family and others. He said he worked on it for three days.

Skolfield said he was frustrated when the testimony of several people to the independent commission investigating the events surrounding the shooting did not match his recollection. He also said the commission omitted key details about his actions from the 215-page report.

“If you read the report, it is not entirely accurate because there is ample evidence that the commission absolutely left certain things out of the report, which changes the whole tone,” he said.

Merry said he wished Skolfield had gotten a more complete picture of Card’s mental health crisis. “That’s a very different scenario, which I think would have elicited a very different response,” he said.

At the time of the welfare check, Merry was suffering from a staph infection and surgery and was also acting as legal guardian for his brother, who died last year in a car accident. He logged onto his home computer on Sept. 15, 2023, but said he could not specifically remember Skolfield’s report on the welfare check. He said he didn’t learn the full details until later, after Card went on his shooting spree.

One thing has changed since then.

Before the Lewiston shooting, the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office had not used the yellow flag law to confiscate guns from people experiencing a psychiatric emergency. Now, the law is used an average of twice a day across the state. In Sagadahoc, it has been used about 18 times.

The fact that state lawmakers had to act quickly to improve yellow flag laws after the tragedy speaks for itself, both men said.

Voters will have to figure it out for themselves on Election Day. Vicki Sprague, an undecided voter, noted that many voters like her are likely distracted by the looming presidential race.

“I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve always had a lot of respect for the police, the fire department and the sheriff. I think they’ve done a great job,” she said. “What happened recently?” she said, referring to the tragedy. “There were a lot of mistakes made there. I don’t know. That’s where I stand.”