Frank Foss Jr. (Courtesy photo)
A 28-year-old Dresden man was fatally shot by a Maine State Police detective during a confrontation in Chelsea on the evening of Sunday, July 23.
Frank Foss Jr. was shot after he allegedly pointed a handgun at a member of the Maine State Police Tactical Team while law enforcement was executing a search warrant, according to a press release from Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine State Police.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office had requested assistance from the state’s tactical and crisis negotiation teams in tracking and executing search and arrest warrants for Foss, according to the press release. The sheriff’s office had an active arrest warrant for Foss alleging possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and bail violations associated with a prior class C domestic violence incident.
Based on their investigation, LCSO detectives had obtained a search warrant for 17 Hankerson Road in Chelsea. Foss, who was armed with a handgun, allegedly pointed the weapon at a tactical team member who encountered him in the wooded area surrounding the residence during the search, according to the press release. As a result, Foss was shot and killed by Maine State Police Detective Scott Duff.
Duff was placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice in Maine for any officer-involved shooting. The attorney general’s office will be investigating the incident, according to the press release.
Foss was known to Lincoln County law enforcement after relocating to Dresden from Milo in 2020.
LCSO deputies arrested Foss without incident on May 14, 2020 and seized four stolen guns from the Dresden shack where he was living. A search of the shack turned up a stolen Colt .45 handgun, Colt .45 revolver, .44 Marlin rifle, and 16-gauge Springfield shotgun.
Foss was charged of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, theft, violation of condition of release, and violation of a protection from abuse order, according to a press release from the LCSO at the time.
Those charges were in addition to those Foss faced in Piscataquis County. In January 2020, he pleaded guilty to domestic violence terrorizing with a dangerous weapon, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, operating under the influence, and cruelty to animals. He was scheduled to be sentenced in March, according to news reports about the plea.
According to reports, the charges followed an incident in Milo on Dec. 8, 2019 when an intoxicated Foss reportedly shot and killed a family cat before shooting at his wife and children as they drove away from the home. His wife drove to a friend’s home, where Foss followed her and shot at the house as he drove by.
In July 2020 in Lincoln County, Foss was convicted of theft of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and incarcerated for 9 months. In December 2022, he was arrested by LCSO on a charge of domestic violence. He subsequently pled guilty to domestic violence assault class C in Lincoln County Superior Court in May 2023.
He was given a deferred disposition and released on personal recognizance with conditions of release. He was due to return to the court in May 2024 at the end of this deferred disposition.
According to the LCSO, the events that led to Sunday’s fatal confrontation began July 2, when deputies investigated a report Foss was in possession of a handgun near his home in Dresden. As deputies were arriving on scene, they heard several gunshots coming from a wooded area near Foss’s home, but they could not locate Foss.
According to an LCSO press release, a search warrant was obtained for Foss’s residence. He was not located during the search; however, evidence of firearm possession was recovered. Arrest warrants were obtained for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and violation of conditions of release.
Information from a family member indicated Foss and his girlfriend may have been traveling to an address in Milo. Further information indicated Foss may have shot several holes in his girlfriend’s SUV when it was parked in Dresden, according to the LCSO.
LCSO reported Milo Police Department and the Piscataquis Sheriff’s Office were asked to locate Foss, which they did without success. Speaking with Foss’s girlfriend in Milo, they learned Foss had been at the Milo address and fled into the woods to avoid arrest. They did recover the girlfriend’s SUV with several bullet holes in it. The vehicle was impounded at the request of LCSO.
On July 5, LCSO detectives obtained a search warrant for the impounded SUV. Three rifles, numerous boxes of ammo, and an empty pistol case were recovered. Several bullet holes were documented in the vehicle. The vehicle also contained several items needed for an extended camping trip.
On July 22, LCSO received information Foss had returned to the area of his residence on Calls Hill Road in Dresden. A search warrant for the property was obtained. Due to previous statements by Foss indicating he was looking for an armed confrontation with police, LCSO requested the assistance of Maine State Police.
On July 23, information developed by Maine State Police and the FBI indicated Foss was at or near a residence on Hankerson Road in Chelsea. LCSO obtained a search warrant for the property. The fatal confrontation occurred while Maine State Police was performing the search warrant.
