ISLESBORO — Law enforcement has issued a March 7 update to an initial March 6 press release regarding a March 4 incident on 700 Acre Island, following citizens continued concern of their safety. 

Seven Hundred Acre Island is south of Islesboro, separated by a narrow channel of water.

A number of citizens separately reached out to the Pilot to say the seriousness of the situation was not made clear in the March 6 press release from the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office. That release was issued after Pilot staff contacted the Sheriff’s Office following receipt of a message from a citizen about the March 4 incident.

Citizens, who preferred to remain anonymous but repeatedly said they were shook up and horrified by the chain of events, said a man had allegedly carried weapons and ammunition onto a vessel that was traveling to Islesboro March 4. Those items were later found by citizens who had combed the island for two days and turned them over to law enforcement.  

The incident began early Monday morning when crews were loading a boat to go to work. A man appeared and joined them on a ride to 700 Acre Island, they said. As the situation unfolded, they reportedly became increasingly worried and when they arrived at the island, they aborted their regular schedule. They also called law enforcement.

The man apparently walked off into the woods, and on March 6, the Sheriff’s Office said that with the assistance of the Coast Guard, they found the man: “in an outboard-powered skiff, traveling near the north end of the island.”

When approached by members of the WSO, the man was unarmed and no ballistic vest was located, according to the press release. The man cooperated with deputies and was subsequently transported to a medical facility for further evaluation and treatment, the Sheriff’s Office said.

After reading the March 6 release from the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office, however, citizens reached out with heightened concern that the gravity of March 4 situation had not been reported. 

When contacted again March 7 by the Pilot asking about the investigation, Waldo County Sheriff Jason Trundy said the SO is using Maine’s Yellow Flag Law, passed in 2019. The law allows law enforcement to confiscate weapons from those considered to pose a threat to others or themselves.  

In a March 7 release, Sheriff Trundy wrote the WSO: “Response to the above call for service remains ongoing and has required deployment of numerous personnel from the Sheriff’s Office as well as assistance from other law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and Maine Marine Patrol. The investigation has consisted of law enforcement’s initial response, including taking the person of interest into custody, personnel conducting article searches on 700-acre island and an investigation that has utilized the State of Maine’s Yellow Flag Law resulting in law enforcement acquisition of numerous firearms.

“The items being searched for on 700-acre island in relation to this call for service, including a firearm, were located by civilians and are now in the possession of law enforcement. The investigation remains open and ongoing. Because there have currently been no criminal charges filed, and the investigation is ongoing, we are able to release limited information. We ask for everyone’s patience as we continue our investigation, pursuing every available avenue to ensure public safety while protecting individual rights.”