Steven Lake’s access to his guns — illegally — was a major factor in his killing of his wife, their two children and himself on June 13 in Dexter. The 74-page November report by four veteran Maine law enforcement professionals made that clear.
Emphasizing that fact, one of the four former Maine police officers, Brian Gagan, now says flatly, “The instruments of death were two firearms owned and previously possessed by Steven Lake.” He says they could and should have been easily captured and secured by the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office as mandated by state law and the specific terms of the protection from abuse order signed by a Piscataquis County Judge.
Instead, they were handed around by various friends and family members, and Mr. Lake was able to get two of them to do the killing.
Yet, Lt. Robert Young of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office told the Bangor Daily News, “But how do you know what he has hidden?” and “In reality, if someone is determined to kill you with a gun, they’re going to get a gun.”
Mr. Gagan replies to that excuse: “Any persons who gave or share the thought that ‘Steven Lake would have just found another gun’ or ‘Nothing could have been done to stop this’ are in fact derelict in their duties.”
Mr. Gagan is a Westbrook native who has worked as a patrol officer in Westbrook and Scarborough. He now lives in Arizona.
The report said that Mr. Lake should have been in jail the day he killed his family and himself. He was awaiting a July 5 trial on charges of threatening his family with a handgun on June 14, 2010. He had been bailed out twice at a cost if $4,000, low enough to permit him further access to his family, said the report.
Mr. Gagan criticized “the apparent unwillingness of the Maine State Police and the Attorney General’s staff to take pointed, definite, short-term and public action against the perpetrators of this massive oversight by the Piscataquis Sheriff’s Office and its leaders.”
As Mr. Gagan put it in an email, “Steven Lake took fatal actions after what has amounted to fatal inactions by law enforcement.”
The report said that 20 of the 31 Maine homicides in 2008 were related to domestic violence and 10 of the victims were killed by family or household members.
Mr. Gagan declared that “we will not rest until those causing this problem either by design or by mistake are corrected — along with the system that has allowed them to go uncorrected for so long at the expense of many lives either destroyed or lost completely.”
Maine sheriffs are elected officials and not subject to control by the Maine attorney general. But Mr. Gagan is right in demanding forceful and prompt exposure of this “fumble” over Steven Lake’s guns so that other jurisdictions can do better and impede the ongoing series of domestic-abuse threats and homicides.
He should have been jailed without bail based upon a deadly threat.
Hey, calling all lawmakers. Read this article AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Leave people in jail until their trial. No bail!
There were some 136 motor vehicle deaths in Maine in 2011 and probably hundreds due to bad food and medications…where is the outcry about that? But a dozed domestic dispute deaths is “an epidemic”? This is nothing but hype and bias propaganda.
U.S. Government’s own statistics consistently show that WOMEN are the #1 cause of domestic violence, overwhelmingly the #1 cause of child abuse, and overwhelmingly the #1 cause of child murders! But why doesn’t the DV industry ever tell us that? Why are all the laws against men, men’s rights, and against guns?
The Domestic Violence Industry is a multi-billion dollar fraud being used by radical feminists, anti-gun nuts, and the State for an endless power grab. The LD 386 Bill pushed to give Police in Maine the power of mandatory seizure of all guns and mandatory bail conditions placed on ACCUSED men way before the tragedy in Dexter.
This use of the one Dexter case is just a continuation of their open assault on the 2nd, 4th, and 14th Amendment.
Any woman who lies about a man threatening her is enough “probable cause” to get the man arrested, have all guns seized by the State, and have him imprisoned or subjected to strict bail conditions. And they are NOT just talking of taking guns from the accused men, but ALL guns even from the women who accused them! If you watch the hearing video linked below you will notice false statistics and biased language blaming men and guns for everything and claiming that women are just helpless victims not capable of using guns or defending themselves. It’s all about more Rights to the State and less for the citizens.
When another future tragedy will prove that seizing weapons does not prevent these family tragedies the same radicals will come back to beat the drum that more Rights and ALL guns are to blame. Domestic Violence Industry is a TROJAN HORSE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8xePPJGt_M&feature=watch_response
http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=386&snum=125
Am I the only one calling out this “defense” of domestic violence? The data, if it exists, seems suspect. No opinion on the Dexter case other than just a “one case” brush off? Rights to the State? how about rights of the victims? Nobody is blaming men for “everything” in domestic violence but this one man sure was to blame. Are you contiuning to justify the actions of hiom and his family? Why?
So you’re saying domestic violence doesn’t exist? Some kind of feminazi ruse? You seem to be more concerned about gun rights than the lives of victims of violence. How selfish. The problem is that due to attitudes like yours that too many people discount the criminality of domestic violence and abuse continues. More DV/stalking/harassment goes on than is ever reported or prosecuted. It always boils down to a stupid he said/she said belief where the legal system and others ignore the abuse, because it is too hard to figure out who is at fault. Many abusers will claim that they are victims or call the police on the victims as a form of harassment. The Domestic Violence Industry as you call it is struggling against ignorance and there is a desperate need for legal representation. There are too many people who ignore the abuse and expect the victim to ‘get along’ with their abuser. What did you do to provoke him/her? This poor woman and children paid the ultimate price at the hands of a terrorist.
You make vaild points. The animal in Dexter was crazy and going to kill his family. He could have put them in a vehicle and crashed it, burned the house, blunt force trama, etc.. There have been many women in Maine that have blown away their spouses just to walk away. IS there domestic violence in Maine, yes, both genders. More men abusing women? Sure. Should we stop and pull all rights away from all men eveytime some crazy woman decides to use this tactic as a powerplay for more money, custody, or control? Of course not. This is a tough subject.
Recently in Bangor a woman took a pair of PLIERS to a mans genitals and removed them while he was alive because “he was cheating on her”. Was it becuase he was cheating on her or because she was nuts. Should we ban pliers now to save a pair of nuts?
People that blame the guns are fools. They are uneducated in the field and completely clueless as to our 2nd amendment rights. They select what they want from the constitution and ignore the rest.
I would rather have a gun in my hand to protect a family against a Steven Lake then to sit by and watch innocent victims be killed by criminals. Thats just me. The irony is that most anti gun people are much more tolerant to violence then us pro gun activists. We want to save lives while the anti gun people have no problem watching lives be taken. Fools.
Another great post!
Great post!
All of the firearms should have been confiscated, the law that says they can be held by other family members is a horrible miscarriage of justice. It was the law then, it sure as heck shouldn’t be the law any longer. And, yes, he should have been held after that violent threat not been granted some measly bail. Shame on the lawmakers.
The real travesty lies with the judge who not once but twice set an extremely low bail. If he was in jail then none of this would have happened. The Sheriff’s office cannot search his house for weapons without a warrant and it is incumbent upon the person who the order is placed on to turn over their firearms. Imagine the 4th Amendment issues that would be brought up if the police can search your home for weapons absent any probable cause that is need to get a protection order. I dont know know if the regular folks know how the protection orders work, but anyone can walk into a court fill out an affadavit and have a P.O. slapped on someone, albeit temporary, until a hearing is scheduled.
That said if he had bail conditions not to use or posess wweapons and was subject to random search and test then it would behoove the local law enforcement agency to conduct such test. Eitherway, something needs to be changed, and I say start with the judges and bail commissioners, but thats just my two cents. (Not that its worth anything)
His bail should have been way more…way more than the parent–who knew exactly what his son was like yet kept making excuses for him–could ever afford.
That isn’t what bail exists for. Bail is not punishment and isn’t to keep people in jail. It is to make sure they appear at court.
Yes, but in cases like this with people like him, his ability to do what he wanted to do, and just go to jail for an hour or two only fueled his distorted view of himself and that he can do whatever he wanted to do whenever he wanted to do it! Basically, he felt unstoppable and above the law.
In a case like this, however, having bail set so low that he only remained in jail for a couple hours only fed his already distorted view of himself as being above the law and unstoppable. Why have a warrant out for someones arrest for, let’s say, two weeks if you only have plans to keep them in jail for an hour anyway! I don’t see the point in that. The bail, in situations like this one, needs to be set high enough for the person in jail and his family to take the charges seriously!
How does the BDN editorial board suggest that the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office capture and secure the firearms of people accused of domestic violence? The first obstacle is that people can and probably do hide guns, so that they might not all be found. The second, and bigger issue is how to go about removing a firearms collection that may be worth tens of thousands of dollars. They’d need to be properly inventoried and stored safely, without risk of loss to theft or fire. Then there’s the potential of damages that may be caused by the officers handling them, and whether restitution will be provided. Not everyone accused of domestic violence is convicted, not all of them are guilty, and not all of them deserve to have their rights violated. This strikes me as more of the usual anti-gun propaganda that you could expect from a newspaper editorial board, most of whom probably aren’t even from Maine.
I think we should put ankle bracelet on those who have a PFA against them. Maybe the victim could be notified if the perp gets close to her home. You would think they could do something with GPS.
There’s is NO WAY every person receiving a PFA should be required to wear a tracking bracelet. While the PFA is a tool for domestic violence victims to use, many people abuse it in order to ‘get back’ at someone who hurt them in a way that’s not illegal. i.e. cheating, a break-up. I can say this because I’ve seen it happen and it not only hurts the person being accused but the system as a whole because law enforcement and the courts see it on a regular basis as well.
I’m not only saying this is a man (and while women do abuse men, lets be honest this is predominantly a male hurting female issue) but as a man who’s mother was abused physically by his father. I hate men who abuse women with an absolute passion but the idea of taking away every mans’ rights because of the actions of one can’t be allowed. These need to be done on a case by case basis. Steve Lake should have been in jail after the first incident. How can we as a society allow anyone, man or woman, to walk around free after taking people hostage? Would we have allowed an armed bank robber to walk around until his trial date? Man I hope not.
The laws need to be adjusted for sure but there needs to be a balance. I’m in no way conveying a message of giving the perp more rights than the victim but with all the attention that this has garnered I would sincerely hope changes can be made that will not be knee-jerk but instead be well thought out, more investigative, and harsher to the actual abusers while not jeopardizing the rights of anyone, man or woman.
My sympathies to you for having to deal with such a father. I actually think it is hard to win a PFA in court as the men fight so hard to keep their guns. What do you think would get through to an obsessed abuser? The only thing that stops them (sometimes) is the fear of being arrested. Narcissistic sociopaths whether male or female will always act unethically and not abide by the rules. They are likely to lie and claim to be victims and this is what makes it so hard for the courts to figure out who is telling the truth. Growing up in a household where your mother was abused you know that abuser’s are not logical and blame everyone else except themselves for their lot in life. I hope your mother had the strength to leave him.
Thank you for you sympathies and while they are appreciated they are not required. My mother was one of the lucky ones that was able to walk away and re-establish herself and her life as well as provide a safe place for me to grow up. And while she was able to do this it wasn’t immediate. It wasn’t until she was ready and not because anyone told her too. Most people just don’t seem to understand that it’s not as easy as ‘just leave the (fill in the blank here)’ Once she did it took a tremendous amount of support from the family and I’m thankful for each and every one of them and for the strength my mother posses’s.
As for what can be done, I think we definitely need to look at the laws in respect to those who make false accusations of DM. When those allegations are made time is being taken away from actual crimes and this hurts the whole system. Put some teeth on laws in regards to make false accusations and I don’t think it’ll take long before people stop doing it.
I’m an admitted gun enthusiast so this part is a little tricky for me. Any woman I’ve dated in the past would have known the best way to get back at me would have been to make an accusation that would have them taken away. However, if you threaten someone with a firearm or any weapon it can’t be allowed that you keep them in your possession for obvious reasons. If you attack someone with a car, I believe (I’m not 100% certain of this fact though) you have you auto impounded. Why can’t we do that with firearms? Have them impounded by law enforcement until the trail. If you’re found to have committed DM you lose them. If not you get them back. That would be right off the top of my head and would obviously require much more thought before anything should be enacted.
OTW, I can tell this is something you’re passionate about and I appreciate the fact that you’re willing to have a discussion, not a fight, about what can be done. With my hope for changes to our current laws I can say I hope we have people like you make those decisions.
What good would it do to confiscate guns? They can pick up an Uncle Henry’s and have another one in an hour. No background check, no waiting period. Given the severity of the charges against Lake, there is no way he should have been walking the streets. Plain and simple.
I agree that laws in Maine should allow for a person who has threatened ANYONE with a firearm to be held without bail until trial, other than a trespasser in his or her own home. I agree that these same suspects should have all firearms seized by law officials. However, the idea that a man or woman bent on committing murder would just shrug and call it a day if a gun wasn’t handy is absurd. Everyone in Maine has friends or family members who own guns, and there are criminals out there willing to sell illegal guns to those who want to do illegal things with them. Murder can also be committed with many other weapons. Mr. Gagan sounds like a pompous rooster who’s never been in the trenches, quite frankly.
folks the inmates are running the asylum
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/06/BA901MLK6N.DTL
The protection from abuse order in this case specifically required that all firearms be surrendered to law enforcement. The Piscataquis Sherriff’s office then failed on that point, and is now groping for excuses for their mistake resulting directly in the deaths of these 4 people. That protection from abuse order provision is enforced by Maine Title 19-A, Chapter 101, Sections 4006 and 4007. No family member in this case (either the Bagley’s or the Lakes) is responsible in any way (either by purposeful or mistaken action) for Steven having access to the instruments of his homicides and suicide. The only responsible parties are Steven Lake and the Sherriff’s Department.
It was the very specific and clear responsibility of the Sherriff’s Department to inventory and capture ALL of those firearms (no matter where they were stored or hidden, or with whom) simply by checking the federal firearms database to know the firearms owned and possessed by Steven Lake. The Sherriff’s Department would then have a list of those firearms in order to capture those weapons from Steven Lake…including the 2 firearms with him on the morning of the murders. They never asked anyone where the weapons were. They never sought the weapons. No warrant or search is necessary for this when law enforcement is awake on the job. The cops just say, “where are all of your guns?” and the defendant then provides the guns to the cops. If the cops (if awake) sense that not all guns have been surrendered, they then get a warrant (20-60 minutes) to search all property upon belief that not all guns have been surrendered. The question “where are all of the guns?” was never asked in this case of anybody. That lack of question was as fatal as the shotgun blasts were in this case.
However, under the above two statutes specifically, warrants will be provided by a Judge for purposes of a weapons search if all weapons (per the federal firearms database) are not provided voluntarily by the defendant to law enforcement. It is clear that no…not one iota…of action was taken by the Sherriff’s office in this case to ensure that Amy Lake’s Protection From Abuse order was enforced as it relates to Mr. Lake’s firearms. The firearms were never sought from any person by the Sherriff’s office under their duty to execute the terms of the protection from abuse order. …including the shotgun that he used on June 13, 2011.
This should concern not only all victims of domestic violence in Maine, but all other citizens of this state as well.