When her husband became violent, Amy Lake did everything she was supposed to.
When her husband threatened the family with a gun, Lake sought and received a protection from abuse order. She filed for divorce, took the couple’s two kids, and moved to another town. She sought out support and help from friends, social workers and police.
And still, Lake and her two children, 13-year-old Coty and 12-year-old Monica, are gone, shot dead by Steven Lake, their estranged husband and father, in their Dexter home in June.
The laws and procedures now on the books were not enough to save the Lakes. And they were not enough to save Sarah Gordon, who was shot around the same time by her husband Nathaniel, in front of their Winslow home and their two children; or Renee Sandora, the New Gloucester woman who was also killed in front of her children, allegedly by the children’s father, Joel Hayden.
It is clear that, when an enraged husband or boyfriend decides to act in a violent and fatal manner, the laws and procedures now in place are just not enough. And it is a scenario that is becoming all too common – Sandora’s death is the ninth linked to domestic violence in Maine so far this year.
It is a situation Gov. Paul LePage addressed last week while in Dover-Foxcroft, about 15 minutes from Amy Lake’s home.
“We, the government, failed because there were enough telltale signs and there was enough violence in that whole scenario that we should have been able to figure out what was going on,” LePage said. “Protective orders in the state of Maine are written on paper and that’s about as much value as they have. We need to put some teeth in it.”
Domestic violence murders, while the most extreme and tragic, and also just a small part of the problem. Add in the remaining 5,000-plus cases of domestic violence in Maine every year – and the fact that every case has a far-reaching impact on friends, family, co-workers, etc. – and it may very well be the state’s most pressing law enforcement issue.
So what can be done?
First, the education and outreach programs that have done so much to change the public’s perception and understanding of domestic violence have to continue. People interacting with victims of domestic violence – from friends and family to law enforcement and members of the legal system – have to be able to identify problems and act accordingly.
Second, priorities within the legal system need to change so that dangerous domestic violence offenders are more easily kept behind bars. Too often, offenders are quickly bailed out following an offense – with only court orders to keep them from harming someone – or serious crimes are plea-bargained down to lesser offenses. In the latter case, the offender is let free, and the victims are left feeling that the legal system is impotent and unreliable.
Third, law enforcement agencies should explore programs like those used in Portland and Westbrook, which put panic alarms in the hands of domestic violence victims. Particularly useful for cases in which an offender has recently been released from jail, the panic alarm program provides victims with a direct line to police, in case there is not time to dial 911.
These actions would not save everyone. But at least they would give the victims who do everything right a better chance at survival.
– Ben Bragdon, managing editor
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