Pepper spray was needed to apprehend a Wiscasset man from the waters of Back River off Westport Island on Sunday, Dec. 14, ending a four-hour manhunt that involved the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Westport Island Fire Department, Wiscasset Police Department, and a K-9 unit from the Kennebec Sheriff’s Office, a LCSO press release said.
Daniel Colby, 32, of Wiscasset, entered the Back River, exposing himself to hypothermia, in an effort to avoid arrest, the LCSO press release said. He was transported to Midcoast Hospital in Brunswick by Wiscasset Ambulance for medical treatment and evaluation.
At 6:30 a.m., Monday, Dec. 15, he was released and transported to Two Bridges Regional Jail where he remained in custody Monday afternoon.
Colby was arrested on three active warrants for unpaid fines, cultivating marijuana, and refusing to submit to arrest or detention. He faces an additional charge of refusing to submit to arrest or detention due to Sunday’s events.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a man acting strangely and possibly in need of medical attention at 12:15 p.m. on Main Road in Westport Island. The sheriff’s office received additional information that the man, later identified as Colby, was walking into traffic and attempting to enter passing vehicles.
For four hours, the responding agencies scoured Westport Island, searching several locations on Main Road, Post Office Road, and West Shore Road, the press release said.
He was eventually spotted on the shoreline off West Shore Road. After being ordered to stop by both a Lincoln County and Kennebec County deputy, Colby entered the Back River in an alleged attempt to avoid capture.
A Westport Island Fire Department rescue boat with a Lincoln County deputy on board pursued Colby, who resisted efforts to extract him from the water. “The lack of cooperation by this male and tidal current in the area made these attempts difficult at best,” the press release said.
The Lincoln County deputy decided to pepper-spray Colby out of fear that he would die due to exposure or drowning, the press release said. After pepper-spraying him several times, Colby no longer tried to swim away from the rescue boat, and was successfully apprehended.
