A Richmond man shot Wednesday as he allegedly attempted to break into an apartment is expected to appear before a judge Friday on criminal charges.
Shad A. Hembree, 42, was released Wednesday from MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta and taken to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.
Hembree was shot by Trevor Whitney, 28, of Richmond, as Hembree allegedly tried to break into Whitney’s apartment.
Whitney told a reporter Wednesday afternoon that he didn’t want to shoot the man, but when it became clear the intruder was trying to force his way in, he believed he had to take action to protect himself and his girlfriend.
Richmond police Chief Scott MacMaster said police were called around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday by a woman who said a man was in her apartment.
Whitney said he was getting ready to go to work when the man entered the unlocked front door of the home Whitney shares with his girlfriend.
The man was barefoot and wearing tattered camouflage pants.
The man was holding a large metal flashlight, “like he had hostile intent,” Whitney said.
Whitney said he then picked up his pistol, and the man backed out of the home, but returned a short time later.
When it became clear he was trying to get back into the apartment, Whitney fired, striking the intruder in the shoulder.
MacMaster said the victim and the suspect are neighbors but never had any contact with each other, and their homes – the victim’s at 128 Post Road, the suspect’s at 140 Post Road – are separated by woods.
MacMaster also said Hembree’s actions might be related to mental illness.
While police said they expect Hembree to face burglary and other charges, Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Liberman said Thursday afternoon that no criminal complaint had been filed yet.
“I do expect we will be filing charges,” Liberman said.
Hembree is expected to appear at 1 p.m. Friday before a judge in Belfast District Court via video from the jail, Liberman said.
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