Two law enforcement officers who were allies when they faced tough questions about their interactions with an Army reservist who last year killed 18 people in…
Neither four-term Democratic incumbent Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry, nor his Republican rival, patrol Sgt. Aaron Skolfield, want their career to be defined by the Lewiston mass shooting. But it’s impossible to escape their connection on the verge of a grim one-year anniversary that will be marked less than two weeks ahead of Election Day.
Merry, who as Skolfield's boss also faced scrutiny by the independent commission, empathized. “I felt I defended him to the extent that I could,” the incumbent sheriff said. Skolfied, for his part, suggested it was time for Merry to step aside. He said Merry has spoken previously about not wanting to be the aging law officer who didn’t know when to pack it in.
Skolfield said he's happy with the hiring and said even more deputies are needed, though Merry said it’s difficult to justify to county commissioners when the number of service calls has been relatively flat. The welfare check came after a warning that Card was going to “shoot up” his Army reserve unit’s headquarters. But Skolfield didn't have information about Card’s “hit list,” the extent of his mental health crisis and the medical recommendation that he not have access to guns when he paid a visit to Card’s home in Bowdoin. Skolfield said he felt military officials downplayed the threat but he nonetheless took the matter seriously, speaking to military officials, Card’s family and others.
Merry said he wished Skolfield had been provided a fuller picture of Card’s mental health crisis. “That’s an entirely different scenario, which I think would have had an entirely different response,” he said.
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