Details have been sealed that would shed light on what led authorities to seek an arrest warrant against an Augusta man who was shot by a city police officer last weekend.
Fairfield police Capt. Paul St. Amand said in an interview that he would ask for the impoundment of the warrant for the arrest of Robert Farrington, 27, who was shot by an Augusta police officer Sunday.
Robert Farrington Photo courtesy of Kennebec County Correctional Facility
Augusta officers responded to the house at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday looking for Farrington, who was wanted by the Fairfield Police Department on charges of domestic violence assault and cruelty to animals, according to Augusta Police Chief Jared Mills. Once inside the house, Farrington and Officer Sabastian Guptill, 23, got into an armed confrontation and Guptill shot and injured Farrington.
St. Amand told the Kennebec Journal that a “temporary warrant” was in the system and it would not have information showing Farrington’s criminal history.
“When an officer has probable cause for an arrest and cannot locate the suspect, they will type a probable cause affidavit and have it notarized,” St. Amand said. “The officer will then notify dispatch and have them send out … a temporary warrant which gives any agency in the state the authority to arrest the subject based on the original officer’s probable cause.”
St. Amand said he was submitting the probable cause affidavit Tuesday and would impound the warrant afterward. He said that the warrant was being impounded “to protect the victim and the suspect as there is sensitive information (in it).”
The Kennebec Journal also requested documents from the Somerset County District Court regarding Farrington, but none were available this week. Somerset County District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said she was aware of the incident regarding Farrington but had “absolutely nothing” she could release to the public.
Upon his release from the hospital Wednesday, Augusta Police Department arrested Farrington for his outstanding warrant obtained by the Fairfield Police Department on the charges of domestic violence assault and cruelty to animals that allegedly occurred on Nov. 23 within their jurisdiction. Farrington was also arrested on a warrant obtained by the Augusta Police Department for criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon as a result of the incident that occurred in Augusta early Sunday morning while officers were attempting to arrest him on the Fairfield warrant.
Farrington’s bail was set at $750 cash for the charges in Fairfield and $5,000 cash for the charge in Augusta, according to a press release from the Augusta Police Department. Farrington also has several bail conditions in place. He was transferred to the Kennebec County Correctional Facility in Augusta for holding.
Guptill was hired by the Augusta Police Department in April 2018, and he graduated from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in May 2019, finishing second in his class.
Mills said Guptill had been with the department as an intern while in college, and described him as an excellent, motivated officer who focuses on details.
Officer Sabastian Guptill Contributed photo by Augusta Police Department Contributed photo by Augusta Police Department
Guptill was placed on paid administrative leave while the Maine Attorney General’s Office investigates the shooting, which is standard for all incidents regarding the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers.
Marc Malon, a spokesman for the state Attorney General’s Office, said that investigations into the use of deadly force vary from case to case. He said the investigations are undertaken by the office’s investigations division, which “is staffed by trained detectives.” For reference, a report on the use of deadly force by Somerset County Sheriff’s Deputies on July 5, 2017, in Madison was released Tuesday.
Augusta property records show the house at 911 S. Belfast Ave., which is also Route 105, is owned by Robert L. Farrington.
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