SHERMAN, Maine — A local man who was reportedly on drugs and delusional was arrested by police Saturday night after allegedly injuring himself and claiming to be attacked and shot.
Michael Bakeman, 24, of Sherman has been charged with two counts of criminal trespass but may face additional charges, Aroostook County Sheriff Darrell Crandall said in a prepared statement issued Monday.
Police were first alerted when a homeowner called 911 shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday to report that a man had entered the Sherman residence without permission and refused to leave.
The man, who later was identified as Bakeman, told the homeowner that he had been shot and was being pursued by his attacker, according to Crandall. The sheriff said Bakeman also called the Maine State Police shortly afterward and reported that his leg was broken and that another man had been shot.
Sheriff’s deputies, troopers and a game warden promptly responded to the area to investigate and located a bloodied Bakeman in a wooded area off Route 2 in Sherman.
Bakeman told police that he and another man had argued over drugs in his home and that the other man had shot someone else in the home and then also shot at Bakeman, according to Crandall. The officers determined that he had not been shot and found no evidence of a shooting at Bakeman’s residence.
Bakeman was taken by ambulance to Millinocket Regional Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries which police determined were caused by him breaking a window.
After he was released from the hospital, Bakeman was arrested and taken to the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton.
Crandall said deputies determined Bakeman had consumed cocaine prior to the incident, which was likely the cause of his delusional behavior.
The ensuing investigation revealed that Bakeman had entered two additional residences in the area, one where the residents were home and another where they were not. It was also determined that there had been no shots fired by anyone and that Bakeman’s story was fabricated, the sheriff said.
Bakeman has since posted bail and is scheduled to appear in Aroostook Unified Court in Houlton on Dec. 22.