GREENVILLE, Maine — Neither man would call himself a hero, but to those who know their story, they are.
Greenville Police Chief Scott MacMaster and Warden Sgt. William “Bill” Chandler of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife assisted each other in defusing a tense standoff in August when a man entered Indian Hill Trading Post and Supermarket armed with a loaded 12-gauge shotgun.
For their efforts, the two will be among those honored at the Jan. 24 annual meeting of the Maine Association of Police in Portland.
Paul Gaspar, executive director of the Maine Association of Police, said MacMaster and Chandler were recommended for the award by Michael Pulire, president of the Maine State Law Enforcement Association, an organization that MAP works with closely.
“It’s exciting on an individual basis, but I think it’s probably more rewarding knowing that a police department in the northern half of the state is being recognized,” MacMaster said Thursday.
He called it “kind of neat” that there are no territorial turf wars or politics involved in law enforcement in the Moosehead Lake region.
“We all work together towards a common goal,” he said. “To take a municipal officer and a state warden and combine them into an award like that, I think it’s great. I think it says a lot for the work that’s done up here.”
Chandler, who said he was “humbled” by the recognition, agreed with MacMaster.
“It’s a testament to how well we all work together up here,” he said. Working in a “fairly unique area and one that’s remote,” it’s important for one agency to help another, he noted.
During the Aug. 28 incident, an armed Lonnie Gould, 52, walked into the Indian Hill Trading Post and Supermarket and threatened to hurt himself and others, according to police reports. After the store was evacuated of all but two store employees, Gould discarded his shotgun on a counter and took a .357-caliber revolver from a store shelf and inserted ammunition, also taken from a shelf.
When MacMaster and Chandler arrived inside the store, Gould started to walk to the rear of the store. As he did so, a store official who had remained inside grabbed the 12-gauge shotgun from the counter and left the store.
As Chandler talked to Gould to calm him down, MacMaster circled around, ran at Gould and grabbed the gun, according to police reports. Gould was apprehended without anyone getting hurt.
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