Matthew Gwyer, 17, a National Honor Society student-athlete at Scarborough High School, was formally charged with attempted murder, burglary and elevated, aggravated assault in juvenile court Monday, according to Michelle McCulloch, an assistant district attorney for Cumberland County.
Just after his initial court hearing, the Scarborough Police Department made public Gwyer’s name. He was arrested late last week in connection with the Jan. 18 shooting of local businessman Bruce Glidden.
McCulloch said Gwyer denied all three charges, which in the adult system equals a plea of not guilty. At the hearing, the judge also accepted an agreement that keeps Gwyer detained at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland for the time being, McCulloch said.
She also said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing and the District Attorney’s Office may file additional charges, depending on whether police turn up any new evidence.
In addition to remaining in custody at Long Creek, Gwyer will also undergo what McCulloch called a “forensic evaluation,” which will help her office decide whether to charge Gwyer as an adult.
Part of that evaluation includes a psychological review that will be used by the district attorney and the court to better inform their decision about whether it would be appropriate to move Gwyer’s case to the adult court system.
McCulloch said the court is required to apply a four-part test when charging a juvenile as an adult.
That test includes the seriousness of the crime; the characteristics of the juvenile, such as age, attitude and any prior criminal history; public safety; and whether there are any suitable alternatives.
Unlike the adult system, there are no jury trials in juvenile criminal cases, according to McCulloch, who also said a judge can only sentence a juvenile up to the age of 21, at which time he’d be released.
As of now, she said, Gwyer is scheduled to appear before the court again on March 23, when his case will be reviewed and any further charges could be added. At that hearing, the court could also make the decision about whether to charge him as an adult.
Dan Warren, the Gwyer family spokesman and a Scarborough attorney, said Tuesday that Gwyer’s parents, Drew and Maura, are in shock, particularly because their son had never been in trouble with the law before.
The Gwyers released a statement Tuesday through Warren that said, “The events this month have been a tragedy for all concerned.” They added,“Our prayers are with Mr. Glidden for a full recovery.”
Warren said the Gwyers have asked him to speak for the family because he’s known them all for the past 10 years and also coached their son in Little League, as well as through the town’s youth basketball program.
Warren is a longtime weekly columnist for the Current.
Scarborough police arrested Gwyer around 1 a.m. on Jan. 22 after receiving a call of a suspicious vehicle parked in the driveway of a residence on Pleasant Hill Road, according to a department press release.
While the caller was still on the line with the dispatcher, the vehicle drove off. A short while later, police said, officers stopped a gray Honda Ridgeline pickup truck on Black Point Road that was operating without taillights.
During the stop, the press release said, officers became aware there was a handgun in the vehicle. The truck was also similar in appearance to the description of the vehicle that was seen in the area of 104 Ash Swamp Road on the night Glidden was shot inside his residence.
Further investigation resulted in Gwyer’s arrest, and as of now authorities have no information indicating that anyone else was involved in the shooting, the police department said.
Police said Glidden, 47, was asleep at the time he was shot in the early morning hours of Jan. 18. He was transported to Maine Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released.
Nothing was taken from the Glidden home, which is why Gwyer has been charged with burglary, essentially breaking and entering and not theft, McCulloch said this week.
Police have said that in addition to Glidden, who was asleep on a sofa, his wife Amy and their two children were also at home and asleep at the time.
Police said Gwyer entered the Glidden home through an unlocked door, and the family was first alerted to his presence by the gunfire.
Police said Gwyer fled the scene and because Glidden was asleep he did not get a good look at who shot him.
No motive has yet been put forward as to what Gwyer was doing at the Glidden home, and McCulloch said she could not give any details in terms of the evidence that’s already been collected, including the name of the registered owner of the gun used.
Although other media reports have said the gun found in Gwyer’s vehicle was a 9 mm, McCulloch refused to confirm the information.
Warren called Matt Gwyer, “a great kid (and) a great athlete (with a) great sense of humor (who was) headed to college,” which is why this “makes no sense.”
While Warren acknowledged that the Gliddens “have been the victims of a heinous crime,” he also said that the charges against Gwyer are “a nightmare for the parents of every adolescent child.”
Warren said he expects the investigation in this case “will be detailed and lengthy” and said he expects the judge to “insist on a thorough process before deciding the proper resolution of this case.”
He also said that Gwyer will be represented in the criminal case by Ned Chester, a court-appointed lawyer “who has been working in the Maine juvenile court system for more than 30 years.”
Warren added, “Once all the facts are assembled in this matter, the Gwyers, their son, and his counsel will confer and decide what requests to make to the court system.”
In describing the Glidden family, which is a part owner of Glidden Roofing Corp. in Scarborough’s industrial park, Warren said they’ve been “an important part of the Scarborough community for more than a decade. Their family has made valuable contributions to our town and they have suffered horribly in this tragedy.”
Warren also described the Gwyer family as being “a vital contributor to Scarborough (in terms of) its academic life, sports activities and community life.”
He also said that Matt Gwyer grew up in a household with “loving, involved parents and grandparents” and that the family has a long history, across several generations, at Higgins Beach.
Warren said that Gwyer has a younger sister who is also a “great student” and active in local sports, as well.
He said that Drew Gwyer is retired from the military and that Maura Gwyer is a “highly accomplished singer,” heavily involved in the music program at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church.
Matt Gwyer, 17 and a National Honor Society student at Scarborough High School, has been charged with the shooting of local businessman Bruce Glidden.Send questions/comments to the editors.
