Clinton Man’s Guns Seized by Police Under State’s Yellow Flag Law

Clinton Police removed the firearms from a local man's home after he experienced a mental health crisis.

Police Were Called to Aid a Man in Crisis Who Had a Shotgun

Due to the nature of the incident, the man's name has not been released. Officials have only identified him as a 42-year-old male.

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Sunday's incident began just before 6:00 in the evening when the Waterville Regional Communications Center received a 911 call from Tardiff Road in Clinton about a man who was threatening to harm himself with a shotgun. While Clinton police officers were on their way to the scene, they learned that the man's wife and sister managed to get the gun away from him without anyone being harmed. The man then ran into the woods nearby.

The 42-Year-Old Was Taken Into Protective Custody

Several members of law enforcement began searching for the man before learning that he had been found on property belonging to the Flood Farm. A member of the Flood family had spotted him and contacted police. Responding officers took the man into protective custody and transported him to a local hospital for an evaluation.

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Under Maine's Yellow Flag Law, His Firearms Were Seized

Clinton Police Officer Jerico Champagne is trained in Maine's new Yellow Flag Law and filled out all the necessary paperwork to seize all the man's firearms. Maine's Yellow Flag Law allows law enforcement to seek a protective custody warrant on a person believed to be dangerous. Once obtained, that warrant also allows police to remove the individual's firearms from their home.