Rumford Standoff Ends With Suspect Gone; Lewiston Man Sought

Rumford police are looking for a 21-year-old Lewiston man, Blake Lachance, after an hours-long police operation at a Waldo Street apartment on October 14 ended with officers finding the building empty, the Bangor Daily News reported.

The department said it had received tips in the days before about possible drug dealing at the apartment involving both local people and others from outside the area, along with complaints from neighbors that people connected to the unit were carrying guns and firing them in the neighborhood from time to time.

Officers went to the area before dawn on October 14 following another report of shots, set up a perimeter and waited for a search warrant, which a court approved late that morning. The Maine State Police Tactical Team assisted. Police issued a shelter-in-place notice, the town's public works department shut nearby roads and rerouted traffic, and paramedics were stationed close by.

The tactical team went inside shortly before 1 p.m. Investigators think the occupants had left several hours earlier, around the time of the first response.

Police said Lachance faces several felony charges tied to the use of a dangerous weapon and should be treated as armed and dangerous. The department said additional charges against other people are likely as the investigation continues.

This story was first reported by Bangor Daily News.