An Owls Head man will spend no time in jail thanks to a plea agreement after he caused a police standoff in March following a report of domestic violence when he fired 17 shots at police officers from a house where he was barricaded.
[RELATED: Man Accused of Firing Gun at Passing Vehicles Arrested After Standoff with Lewiston Police…]
In March, Waldo County Sheriff’s deputies responded to calls from a woman in Northport reporting that she had been the victim of domestic violence. Police arrived to discover that the visibly injured woman had fled to a safe location.
After speaking with the victim, authorities found that the suspect, Thatcher Silar, 50, of Owls Head, remained inside a Northport home.
Officers made multiple attempts to contact Silar, who responded by firing a rifle through his front door in the direction of the officers and firing through windows on the west side of the house, prompting law enforcement to evacuate nearby residences.
A Maine State Police crisis negotiator eventually convinced Silar to surrender. A subsequent search of the house revealed that Silar had fired 17 shots, and officers found five firearms, which were confiscated under Maine’s Yellow Flag laws.
Now, thanks to a plea bargain, Silar will face no prison time. As part of the deal, Silar agreed to plead guilty to reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, and charges of aggravated reckless conduct with a firearm and domestic violence assault were dropped.
The deal requires Silar to refrain from criminal activity for the next year and to avoid drugs and alcohol. He must also not possess firearms, must refrain from contact with the victim, and must complete a “batterer’s intervention program,” essentially rehab for domestic abusers.
If those conditions are met, Silar will receive a three-year suspended prison sentence, meaning he will serve no jail time and will be subject to two years of probation.
Even if Silar can’t manage to meet those conditions, he will only face a three-year sentence with all but nine months suspended. He voluntarily entered a mental health rehab program after his arrest, according to Assistant District Attorney Matthew Theall.
Silar’s victim, the prosecutor, and the officers involved in his arrest are reportedly content with his extremely lenient treatment.
