Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to Seawall Campground in Acadia National Park at approximately 9 p.m., Wednesday after a man allegedly threatened other campers.
According to witnesses, students from a Massachusetts-based university were setting up their campsite when a man they believed to be intoxicated allegedly told them that he was going to get his gun from his vehicle and kill them.
They called for help.
“On the evening of August 5, Acadia National Park law enforcement rangers responded to an incident at a campsite in Seawall Campground, which resulted in the arrest of an individual for disorderly conduct,” a representative from the National Park Service said two days later via email.
Law enforcement officers from Southwest Harbor Police Department, Acadia National Park, as well as the Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Police Departments responded to the campground from various locations throughout the island. Sgt. Graham of Southwest Harbor was the first officer on the scene.
At one point, officers requested a signal 1,000, which, in this area, restricts radio traffic to only priority calls. The signal 1,000 was cleared just before 10 p.m.
At approximately 9:40 p.m., law enforcement officers located the suspect — Damon Taney, 62, from Sandwich, Massachusetts — on the campground’s C loop. The man’s identity was confirmed late August 7 via email by the National Park Service.
By 10:09 p.m. on Wednesday, officers were bringing the suspect to Hancock County Jail. He was released from the jail to a federal officer, Thursday morning.
“Visitor safety is a priority for the National Park Service and Acadia National Park,” the NPS representative said.
Seawall Campground is open seasonally and on Mount Desert Island’s west side. It hosts 202 sites according to the National Park Service. The campground is off the Seawall Road in an area nestled between Bass Harbor and Southwest Harbor.
It is one of three campgrounds in Acadia National Park. Blackwoods Campground is in the MDI village of Otter Creek, while Schoodic Woods Campground is on the opposite side of Frenchman Bay from MDI on the Schoodic Peninsula.
This story was originally published by The Bar Harbor Story. To receive regular coverage from the Bar Harbor Story, sign up for a free subscription here.