Deranged Maine mass shooter Robert Card had repeatedly claimed he could hear voices in his head calling him a “pedophile” and was paranoid people were “casing” his home in the months before he massacred 18 people, police reports obtained by The Post show.
The 40-year-old gunman’s family were among the first to alert authorities about his erratic behavior after he started verbally lashing out at them and once opened the door to them brandishing a gun, according to at least two Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office incident reports.
Card, who according to his relatives had been drinking heavily in the lead up to last week’s mass shooting in Lewiston, had become so paranoid that people were calling him a pedophile that he’d talked about wanting to hire a lawyer.
The Maine National Guard, too, had become so concerned about the US Army reservist they’d urged local authorities to carry out a welfare check because fellow soldiers feared Card would “snap and commit a mass shooting.”
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Card’s son and his ex-wife had also flagged their concerns about his deteriorating mental health to the local sheriff’s office back in May, an initial incident report shows.
Maine mass shooter Robert Card had repeatedly claimed he could hear voices in his head calling him a “pedophile” in the months prior, a local sheriff’s incident report says. AP
They noted the issues, which started as early as January, had escalated of late and that the son now believed his father was likely “hearing voices or starting to experience paranoia” because he thought people were saying derogatory things about about him out in public.
Card’s family and authorities noted that his mental issues emerged around the same time he had got high-powered hearing aids after his hearing had significantly deteriorated.
On one occasion, the son said his father became “very angry” at him and and accused him of also saying things behind his back, the incident report said.
Police were they were alerted of concerns the Army reservist would snap and commit a mass shooting.AP
Card’s ex-wife also told cops her former husband had recently picked up 10-15 handguns and rifles that used to be stored at his brother’s house — and that she was “very worried” about her son spending time with his dad, the report states.
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In a separate interview with authorities, Card’s brother said the gunman had recently opened the door to relatives armed with one of the guns and had been talking about people outside casing his home.
The brother added that Card often opened the door to his trailer with a handgun hidden out of sight, the report said.
A sergeant with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office tried to conduct a welfare check on the 40-year-old man after they were told Card lashed out at his family.Post Illustration
But it wasn’t just relatives that had become fearful of Card’s declining mental health.
A subsequent incident report filed in mid-September showed that the National Guard had urged the sheriff’s office to carry out a welfare check on Card because a fellow soldier was concerned he was “going to snap” and had made numerous threatening comments, the file stated.
Soldiers had also flagged repeatedly that Card believed others were “insulting him calling him a pedophile,” according to the report.
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Card became violent in his home and allegedly starting hearing voices.Robert Miller
One soldier, identified only as SSG Hodgson, had voiced his concerns after Card punched him as the two were driving home from a casino.
“When Hodgson told him to knock it off because he was going to get in trouble talking about shooting up places and people, Card punched him,” the report said.
“Hodgson was able to get out of the car and made his own way home. According to Hodgson, Card said he has guns and is going to shoot up the drill center at Saco and other places.”
The Guard informed the sheriff’s office that Card had recently spent two weeks at the Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital in Westchester County, NY undergoing treatment after he’d accused fellow soldiers of calling him a pedophile and threatened that “he would take care of it.”
Law enforcemnt officers gather outside Schemengees Bar and Grille in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine on Oct. 27, 2023. AP
Members of the Sagadahoc and Kennebec sheriff’s offices attempted to talk to Card during the Sept. 16 welfare check, but he failed to answer the door, the incident report states.
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The sheriff’s office, who by then were aware Card was a proficient shooter, decided to “back away” from his home given they were in a “disadvantageous position,” according to the file.
Around that time, Card’s brother had agreed to help authorities try and retrieve the caches of weapons from his trailer.
The welfare check and second incident report was filed just six weeks prior to Card unleashing terror at a at a bowling alley and bar on Oct. 25, killing 18.
Card, who was an expert marksman, had stormed into Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley and opened fire with an assault rifle — before minutes later gunning down patrons at nearby Schemengee Bar & Grille.
Authorities launched a massive manhunt for the deranged gunman, which ended two days later when he was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The intersection of Routes 11 and 85, Webbs Mills in Casco, is one of several intersections in the Lakes Region that will receive temporary traffic-calming measures in 2025. Rory Sweeting / Lakes Region Weekly
The Lakes Region towns of Gray, Casco and Sebago will install temporary traffic-calming measures next year as part of a wider initiative to curb vehicle crashes in Maine.
These installations, which will last from June to October, allow planners to test out potential safety measures in the real world, and are part of the wider Vision Zero effort. In development for about a year, Vision Zero is focused on reducing fatalities and serious injuries on Maine’s roadways, with the ultimate goal of eliminating them entirely by 2045.
The Greater Portland Council of Governments has completed two plans as part of this effort. One of these plans is specifically designed for the city of Portland and its surrounding suburbs, while the other, tailored towards rural and island communities, is the basis behind the upcoming Lakes Region projects.
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According to GPCOG Transportation Director Christopher Chop, the new projects are among several traffic-calming demonstration projects that have been implemented throughout the Portland area and some of the surrounding area. Within the Lakes Region, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine previously worked with Gray to install advisory bike lanes as a way to indicate that a street is designed for all modes of transportation.
These pilot projects, both in the urban area and the Lakes Region, will help GPCOG collect data to inform decisions on the most effective measures. Should the measures prove successful, GPCOG plans to replicate them elsewhere. However, if the measures are unsuccessful, Chop hopes that they can understand the reasons why (for example, if they used the wrong tool for the wrong area, or if there were maintenance issues) and avoid them in future projects. These measures, Chop noted, not only make travel safer for cyclists and pedestrians, but for everyone just by slowing traffic down.
The Lakes Region project costs $100,000, funded by a grant from the United States Department of Transportation. Chop said that the temporary measures provide a low-cost opportunity to test out different treatments, as opposed to the more expensive prospect of immediately installing permanent infrastructure. If successful, the GPCOG could look to provide permanent infrastructure to make the region safer.
“In the long run,” Chop said, “the Greater Portland Council of Governments and the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System … both are very committed to the Vision Zero effort, and there’s a number of different strategies to make our roads safer for all transportation users.”
Public reception to the traffic-calming measures has been mixed. While the measures were only recently made public in Gray, Town Manager Michael Foley noted that over the years, many residents have been pushing for safety improvements, and that they will be designed and shared with the public before being put into place. In Casco, Town Manager Anthony Ward said that while some in the town are very supportive of the measures, others are a little more hesitant because a previous traffic-calming effort was not well received.
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However, Ward remained optimistic and said, “There was some hesitation about (the measures), but I think the vast majority will support (them).”
Ward also noted that since most of the roads in Casco where the temporary measures will be implemented are state highways, full implementation would take place in conjunction with the Maine Department of Transportation.
The efforts in Gray will focus on the area of Gray Village where three state highways converge, and will likely involve West Gray Road, Portland Road, Yarmouth Road, Main Street, Shaker Road and Brown Street. While Casco has not finalized the areas in which the measures will be implemented, it also plans to focus around the village, with some of the proposed areas including Pike Corner, Webbs Mills, and Cook Mills. Sebago will see measures implemented in East Sebago Village, Mac’s Corner, and a 2-mile section of Route 11 connecting the two areas.
BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – One local organization is looking to improve the holidays for hundreds of veterans in the Greater Bangor area
The Maine Veterans Project hosted their Thanksgiving distribution event this morning from 8am until 12pm at their office in Bangor.
Any veteran in the Greater Bangor area was welcome to stop by and get some food for free to help feed them and their families this Thanksgiving.
Meals were also delivered to those who couldn’t make it to the event in person.
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Over 200 large bags of non-perishable food were available as well as turkeys, milk, eggs, burgers, and bacon.
They also had some cold weather gear available to those who needed it including jackets, socks, and gloves.
Hermon elementary school students also made some heartwarming cards for the veterans who would be picking up food at the event.
Maine Veterans Project vice president Anthony Murano said their goal was just to help as many veterans as they could.
“As you can see we do have a lot of moving parts going on out here. Today is our Thanksgiving distribution event, and the goal of today is to feed as many veteran’s families as we possibly can for the Thanksgiving season. We do have a small food pantry that we do keep stocked throughout the year, so if we have any vets that are looking for a little food assistance, we can help in that aspect,” said Murano.
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Maine Veterans Project partnered with several local businesses and organizations to help make this event possible including Evan’s Veterans Project and the Not Your Average Nurses Foundation.
And for more information on everything that the Maine Veterans Project does, you can visit maineveteransproject.org or check them out on Facebook.
Erik Stevenson was fouled making a 3-pointer and completed the four-point play with 3.5 seconds left to lift the Capital City Go-Go to a 96-93 win over the Maine Celtics on Sunday at the Portland Expo.
Stevenson finished with 36 points for Capital City. Ruben Nembhard Jr. added 13 points. 14 rebounds and seven assists, while Michael Foster Jr. had 14 points.
Ron Harper Jr. had 21 points and six rebounds for the Celtics. JD Davison added 11 points and 10 assists, while Baylor Scheierman finished with 16 points and six rebounds. Drew Peterson scored 18 for Maine.
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