BANGOR, Maine — A Portland man thanked Bangor police officers for not shooting him during a six-hour standoff earlier this year at the home of his ex-fiancee shortly before he was sentenced Thursday to 22 years in prison with all but 12 suspended for causing the incident.
“Thank you for saving my life,” Nicholas Condon, 27, said after pleading guilty at the Penobscot Judicial Center to a variety of charges stemming from the February standoff. He asked the judge for “forgiveness and mercy.”
Condon, dressed in blue jail clothes, pleaded guilty to two counts each of kidnapping and criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and one count each of burglary and reckless conduct with a firearm.
In a plea deal, Michael Roberts, deputy district attorney for Penobscot County, dismissed one count each of creating a police standoff and possession of sexually explicit material.
Condon had been held at the Penobscot County Jail since his arrest on Feb. 8 at 831 Union St. He has been unable to post $100,000 cash bail.
He told Superior Court Justice Ann Murray on Thursday that he did not intend to hurt anyone else but wanted to “commit suicide by cop” when he broke into the home of his former girlfriend and threatened to kill her and her new boyfriend.
Condon apologized to the victims and the three Bangor police officers he threatened.
His former girlfriend, who did not address the court but submitted a written victim-impact statement to Murray, ended her three-year relationship with Condon in January, Roberts told the judge. Condon returned to southern Maine to live with family.
She remained in Bangor and began dating a new man who was asleep with the woman on Feb. 8 when Condon broke in and threatened to shoot them both and burn them with a blowtorch. Condon shot into the ceiling of the home at least twice and at police officers.
The male victim said that Condon “expected her to be alone. The only reason she’s alive is because I was there.” He also told the judge that after Condon released his ex-girlfriend but before he surrendered, Condon sent a text to her cellphone that said: “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”
The woman had left her phone in the house and did not see the text message until after Condon surrendered, the man said.
The Bangor Daily News is not naming the couple because they are victims of a violent crime.
“I fear he will come for us again,” the man told Murray.
In addition to prison time, Murray sentenced Condon to six years of probation and ordered him to pay more than $7,000 in restitution to repair damage to the home where the victims were sleeping.
Condon’s mother, Maureen Angotti of South Portland, also thanked Bangor police for their “cool heads” during the standoff and for bringing it to “a peaceful resolution.” She said that the breakup sent her son into “unremitting despair.”
Terence Harrigan, Condon’s Bangor attorney, told Murray that his client suffered from untreated mental health issues that caused his client to see suicide as his only option.
Condon faced up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $50,000 on the kidnapping and burglary charges alone.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.