– DIANA BOWLEY

Bangor Daily News

DOVER-FOXCROFT – A former Greenville man who got into an armed standoff in 2008 at the Indian Hill Trading Post Supermarket had suffered from a long history of mental illness, according to statements made Monday in Piscataquis County Superior Court.

Lonnie Gould, 54, was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon after the incident. He pleaded guilty to the charges on March 8 and his sentencing was set for Monday before Justice William Anderson.

But after hearing comments Monday from District Attorney R. Christopher Almy, Gould’s family and a mental health specialist who is working with Gould, Anderson said he would take his time reviewing the case before announcing his sentence. Gould faces a maximum prison term of 30 years.

Police said Gould walked into the trading post in Greenville about 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 28, 2008, with a 12-gauge shotgun, demanding bullets for his gun while talking about committing suicide. Employees thought the gun was loaded and reluctantly gave him the ammunition he requested.

At the same time, the store was evacuated of customers and employees. Gould then discarded the shotgun and picked up a .357-caliber revolver from a store shelf and inserted ammunition, also taken from a shelf.

Police say that when Gould saw former Greenville Police Chief Scott MacMaster and Sgt. William Chandler of the Maine Warden Service, who quickly responded to the alarm, he started walking to the rear of the store. While Chandler talked to Gould to calm him down, MacMaster circled around, ran at Gould and grabbed the gun, police said.

Gould was a very troubled man, said his attorney, Randy Day of Garland.

Day said Monday in court that Gould has a long history of mental illness and self-mutilation, and he had been hospitalized many times for his mental health.

Dr. Jeffrey Aston, a clinical psychologist at the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center in Bangor, said Gould had been treated at the facility for self-mutilation and was discharged in January 2009.

Since then, Aston has seen Gould each week to help him deal with post-traumatic events that stemmed from his molestation over the years by a relative. Aston said he has seen a remarkable change in Gould from the counseling sessions.

Gould told Anderson Monday that he has spent the past few years apologizing to everyone involved. For nearly two decades, he said, he prayed for an honorable disease to take the place of mental illness.

Almy told Anderson that he is faced with a difficult situation. He said that while Gould does appear to be progressing with treatment, he questioned what the risk would be if Gould stopped following the treatment plan.Justice William Anderson said he would take his time reviewing the case before announcing his sentence. Defendant Lonnie Gould faces a maximum prison term of 30 years.