ROCKLAND, Maine ― A Rockport man is in jail Wednesday after allegedly starting a four-hour standoff with police when he barricaded himself and a woman into her apartment.
Mark Hupper, 35, was arrested when the standoff ended around 6 a.m. Wednesday on charges of kidnapping, domestic violence assault and creating a police standoff, according to court documents.
The standoff began after 1 a.m. Wednesday, when police were called to do a well-being check at an apartment in the Rankin Center, a 50-unit affordable housing complex located at the end of Main Street.
When police arrived they found Hupper had broken into the apartment and then locked himself and the female occupant inside. He allegedly threatened to kill anyone who tried to enter the apartment, according to a police affidavit.
Police were able to make contact with Hupper through a landline in the apartment, as well as speaking with him through the barricaded door.
Hupper allegedly told police he had a .40 caliber handgun. He was “yelling, agitated and telling the female victim to lie down and stay there,” according to the affidavit from Rockland Police Det. Alex Gaylor.
At one point the woman called out in pain, according to the affidavit, and Hupper claimed he put a chain around her neck, though it is not clear if that actually happened.
A crime scene evidence log does not indicate that a gun or chain was found inside the apartment. However, several knives were seized, according to the log, which was filed in court.
Around 6 a.m. the standoff came to an end after police deployed a concussion grenade. Hupper was taken to Pen Bay Medical Center before being transported to Knox County Jail.
On Tuesday night, Hupper had allegedly posted on Facebook stating that he would be dead or in jail by the end of the night, according to the affidavit. Family members had reported this post to police, who were working to make contact with Hupper before the standoff unfolded.
Hupper has not yet been scheduled for an initial court appearance.