WATERVILLE — A Waterville man is scheduled to appear in court in December after police said he fired a round from a handgun early Sunday while inside his vehicle in the downtown area, after he had been arrested earlier in the day on other charges.
Nathaniel Rector, 27, was arrested and charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, a Class C offense, and violation of conditions of release, a Class E offense, according to Deputy Chief William Bonney of the Waterville Police Department.
Bonney said Monday a Maine state trooper called Waterville police shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday to report Rector had fired the gun in The Concourse, a large parking lot in downtown Waterville that is surrounded by businesses and frequented by pedestrians.
“The Maine State Police trooper had arrested Nathaniel Rector earlier in the evening and bailed him out, and upon returning to his vehicle, Rector at some point retrieved a handgun from inside his vehicle and fired a round inside the vehicle,” Bonney said. “So the trooper heard the gunshot and called for Waterville units.”
Waterville police went to the scene, secured the area and saw Rector had shot a hole in the roof of his vehicle, Bonney said.
Trooper Haley Flemming had stopped Rector earlier in The Concourse because his vehicle didn’t have a front license plate, according to Shannon Moss, spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety. Flemming suspected Rector was operating under the influence and he was taken to the Winslow Police Department for testing, Moss said. He was subsequently charged with OUI.
He was released and brought back to The Concourse where he told Flemming that he would walk home once he retrieved his cellphone from his vehicle, Moss said. It was then that Rector fired the handgun, leading to the reckless conduct charge.
“Obviously, that’s dangerous behavior in The Concourse, or anywhere in the city,” Bonney said of firing a weapon.
Editor’s note: This report was updated Thursday, Sept. 29, with additional information.
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