The Maine man who was shot and injured by a security officer after he held a knife to the throat of a member of the Federal Protective Service at the Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building in Augusta last year was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison Tuesday.
Derik Broox Wight, 42, of Augusta pleaded guilty in September to one count of assault on a federal officer.
Under the federal sentencing guidelines, Wight faced between 10 and 16 months in federal prison. Assistant Attorney General Joel Casey recommended a sentence of 16 months, while Federal Defender James
Nixon urged U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker to impose a time-served sentence of 11 months.
Wight intended to commit “suicide by cop,” Casey said.
The defense attorney said that his client was depressed and suicidal that day. In 2019, his 9-month-old child died in his arms of meningitis and recently the mother of his child died.
At about 11:30 a.m. that day, Wight entered the vestibule area of the federal building on three occasions in quick succession and made small talk with security guards, leaving each time without incident, according to court documents. A fourth time, Wight returned and quickly walked up to a security officer with a knife.
Wight pushed the security officer against a wall and put his knife up to the guard’s throat, according to the prosecution. Another guard nearby then pointed his weapon at Wight, ordering him to drop the knife.
“Wight said words to the effect of ‘You don’t have the f***in balls to shoot me, whereupon the officer fired a single shot striking Wight,” the prosecution said.
Wight let go of the knife and fell to the ground, the prosecution said, where the guards started administering aid while waiting for emergency crews to arrive.
Wight has been held without bail since he was shot on April 20. He was hospitalized for 10 days and underwent surgery to remove a portion of his small intestine and bowel, Casey told the judge.
Dustin Barber, the security officer Wight assaulted, told the defendant Tuesday: “You’re very lucky to be sitting here. You’re welcome.”
Barber, a combat veteran, told Walker that there is a distinct difference between fighting in a war zone and “having someone look you in the eye and hold a knife to your person.”
He said the experience had been bittersweet.
“Since this happened, it has helped me do my job better,” Barber said. “The bitter is that it is in my personal life. When I go to shake someone’s hand now, I’m scanning them. The trust is not there.”
The federal prosecutor said that Wight was lucky the officers showed restraint and only shot him once.
“If he’d encountered other officers in another state, the defendant, in all likelihood, would have died in a hail of gunfire,” Casey said. “He’s alive because of the professionalism and restraint shown by these Maine officers.”
An emotional Wight apologized to the court and Barber.
“I hope that you can forgive me,” he said as he turned to face the court officer.
Wight was also sentenced to three years of supervised release following his incarceration. Conditions include treatment for his mental health issues and substance use disorder.