LEWISTON — The Laase Avenue home from which a handgun was stolen earlier in the week, leading to a seven-hour police standoff, is located above a day care center, according to information that emerged Thursday.
The day care center, Wing’s Safari, operates out of a basement at the ranch-style home. According to court records, the handgun, a Smith & Wesson .380, was stolen from a basket on top of the refrigerator inside the home’s main-floor kitchen.
The theft was quickly reported. The man accused of taking it, felon Scott Estes, 37, ran into an apartment building on Bates Street, which was quickly surrounded by local and state police.
Four schools were ordered locked down during the standoff, which ended peacefully after seven hours of negotiation. Estes remained jailed Thursday.
Since the drama unfolded, one local parent has come forward to blast Ashley Wing, who operates the day care center. Among her complaints: the fact that an unsecured handgun was left on top of a refrigerator above the day care center, and the revelation that Estes had been allowed into the home during business hours.
“People trust you with their children,” the Lewiston mother said on Thursday, “and you have a firearm on top of your refrigerator and a felon in your home during day care hours?”
According to police documents, Estes went into the home Monday morning with his girlfriend, who operates a cleaning business. He has a criminal history that includes convictions for assault, illegal gun possession, theft and trafficking in prison contraband.
Contacted Thursday night, Wing passionately denied the implication that unsafe conditions existed at Wing’s Safari. Her home, she said, is kept completely separate from the day care facilities in the basement.
“It’s in a daylight basement with a locked fire door, a locked back door, two separate entrances,” Wing said. “Children are not allowed in my home — everything is separate. We have our own kitchen, bathroom and the children are not allowed upstairs.”
The entrance to Wing’s house faces the street. The day care entrance is at the back of the house. To access it, one has to pass through a fence gate. There is a “no guns” sign on the main door, a security keypad lock and surveillance cameras monitoring the property around the clock.
The interior door separating the day care from Wing’s house is a fire door equipped with a child-proof knob cover.
“This is probably the safest home day care that you’ll ever find,” Wing said Thursday night.
According to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, firearms and ammunition are prohibited in licensed child care facilities. Wing said the rule does not apply to her home because it is classified as a separate dwelling. She notified state officials minutes after the drama began Monday — a state official was expected to inspect Wing’s Safari in coming days. In the meantime, Wing said, her license remains intact and she is still providing day care services for her regular customers.
The woman who complained about Wing on Thursday did not want to be identified. She said she has been leaving her children, ages 1 and 3, at the day care since August. She was mostly happy with the service — until Monday.
“Our general impression of the day care,” the woman wrote in a letter to the State Division of Licensing, “was that it seemed clean, well-supplied with plenty of toys, activities, etc. and that the staff were all friendly and attentive. We had a few minor concerns during the past few months that we discussed with Ashley and they were resolved upon discussion.”
In her letter to the Licensing Division, the local mother described conversations she has had with Wing about the way the drama unfolded Monday.
“Ashley stated that she has cleaners that she hired to come clean her house every Monday, and that one of the cleaners often brings her boyfriend along, even though Ashley has asked her not to,” the woman wrote. “I asked Ashley why the cleaners come during day care hours and she stated that they cleaned her home, not the day care, so it didn’t matter (I disagree for obvious reasons). She then informed me that the boyfriend stole her gun along with various other personal items and left her home. She stated that the police were called and were handling the situation. I proceeded to ask Ashley why I wasn’t aware that she had a firearm in her home and she stated that because it wasn’t in the day care she was ‘allowed to and didn’t have to tell me.'”
“I also asked Ashley to clarify how the man had access to her gun,” the woman wrote, “and she stated that it was ‘on top of her refrigerator — out of reach of the kids.’ This upset me and I stated that I wanted to go get my children from her and she told me I wasn’t permitted to do so until the lockdown was lifted.”
The day care was locked down for a short time Monday as police searched for Estes.
Wing said she is not allowed to specify how many children she looks after at the business, although it is believed she tends to more than half a dozen. She said that aside from the woman who complained, she has not lost customers over the drama on Monday. Wing’s Safari has been in operation for two and a half years.
Wing said she is a stickler about rules and state regulations, particularly those pertaining to weapons. In fact, she insisted that a reporter remove his pocket knife before allowing him to enter the business Thursday night.
“We have no firearms, no lighters, no nothing down here,” Wing said.
She legally owns the firearm that was stolen, she said, and has taken multiple firearm safety courses.
The woman who complained also said she has issues with the fact that Wing notified parents via text message of the developing situation Monday.
“I found this to be completely inappropriate,” the woman wrote in her letter to state officials, “and advised her that the parents should have been called.”
In the text message sent out Monday, Wing wrote: “We will update everybody on the situation as we get more information. The children are safe and we are doing the best we can in this current situation. Thank you everybody for understanding and knowing that this is not anything we intended on happening.”
A fire door separates the daycare facilities at Wing’s Safari in Lewiston from the home above. The home was the scene of a theft Monday morning which led to a 7-hour police standoff.
A fire door separates the daycare facilities at Wing’s Safari in Lewiston from the home above. The home was the scene of a theft Monday morning which led to a 7-hour police standoff.
Ashley Wing says absolutely no weapons of any kind are allowed into her daycare business in Lewiston.
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