NAPLES, Maine — The Cumberland County sheriff is blasting Louisiana law enforcement after an alleged killer was released on bail and brought to Maine.
Benjamin Shaw, 21, is free on bail and staying in Naples with his parents, and Sheriff Kevin Joyce said he has a big problem with it.
Shaw was charged with second-degree murder. He is accused of stabbing another man nine times outside a Louisiana bar in January.
Joyce said his sergeant got a call from Shaw’s defense attorney last month, saying his client was going to be released on bail and sent to Maine, but it was in the early stages, and wanted to know whether the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office would do weekly checks on Shaw.
A week later, a captain from the sheriff’s office in Louisiana called to say Shaw posted the $500,000 bail and would be returning to Naples.
Joyce said it’s rare in Maine for a murder suspect to be released on bail and be allowed to travel hundreds of miles away from where the crime took place.
He said there was not enough communication with his office, especially on Shaw’s bail conditions and how they can enforce them.
“It appears, my opinion only, that this is a slide job. We’re going to slide this guy into Naples hoping that nobody really knows, and we’ll let the sheriff’s office know on the night shift just to check on him once a week,” Joyce said.
Joyce said he has been in contact with officials in, Louisiana expressing his concerns. He said he is working to try and add more bail conditions for Shaw.