An Albion man who threatened to kill his brother on Monday, prompting an armed police response, was apprehended Tuesday morning in the greater Bangor area.

The man, who was identified by police in an all-points bulletin as 50-year-old Paul Flynn, was pulled over by a Penobscot sheriff’s deputy and state police trooper shortly after he unsuccessfully attempted to buy liquor at a convenience store.

Police placed Flynn in protective custody and took him to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for an evaluation.

He was charged with operating under the influence and was bailed directly from the hospital, a Penobscot County Jail official said late Tuesday.

“Nobody was in harm’s way; he was bluffing,” said Winslow officer Joshua Veilleux, who investigated the threat. “I’m extremely happy with the way it turned out. I’m happy for the family that it ended this way and nobody was hurt.”

The search for Flynn began Monday morning when police received a report that he intended to kill one of his brothers at work in Winslow. Guns drawn, Veilleux, Police Chief Jeffrey Fenlason and a state trooper searched the brother’s Benton home and moved the brother’s wife and child to a safe location. Flynn claimed at one point to be armed with a rifle behind the Benton home and, through cell phone calls and text messages, claimed he was watching police.

Advertisement

Police tried to convince Flynn to turn himself in, to no avail.

Veilleux said he came into work about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and got a call from a family member who had been receiving texts from Flynn indicating that he was “in a bad way” and “depressed.” Veilleux sent a text directly to Flynn asking how he was doing and Flynn replied back, “I’m a mess.”

Veilleux then contacted wireless carrier Verizon, whom he had been in touch with the day before, about identifying Flynn’s location using his cell phone signal. They were able to do that Tuesday morning, with records also showing that he had been in the Waldo County town of Frankfort Monday morning and afternoon and was in Bangor by 6 p.m.

Verizon was able to pinpoint Flynn’s location in relation to area cell towers, Veilleux said.

“Thanks to the cell phone and text messaging, it was a big help because we were able to reach out to him,” Veilleux said.

An all-points bulletin was issued about 9:30 a.m., saying Flynn might be “armed and dangerous, suicidal and homicidal” and was driving a red Subaru Impreza somewhere in the Bangor area. Deputy Garrit McKee of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office was on patrol when he heard the bulletin and he spotted the car at 10 a.m. He pulled the car over in Herman, near the Levant line, at the intersection of Pine Tree and Fuller roads.

Advertisement

“I stood by for another unit to arrive because there were concerns he was armed and (Maine State Police Trooper Darren) Vittum arrived and took him into custody without incident,” McKee said. “We were unable to locate a firearm.”

Before he was pulled over, Flynn had tried to buy liquor at the Levant Corner Store, but he was turned away because the clerk saw he was drunk, Veilleux said.

The brother who Flynn threatened to kill initially told police that he didn’t plan to press charges, but Winslow police say they’re still investigating. The brother declined comment Tuesday.

Scott Monroe — 861-9239

smonroe@centralmaine.com


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.