PORTLAND — A Sabattus man pleaded guilty to having a stolen gun and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Scott Estes of Sabattus is pictured at his 2017 Lewiston District Court appearance after a police standoff. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Scott Estes, 38, entered his plea to the felonies Monday in U.S. District Court. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. After serving his sentence, he’ll be on supervised release for three years. His sentencing will come after the U.S. Probation’s Office’s completion of a pre-sentence investigation report.
On Nov. 13, 2017, Lewiston dispatchers received a 911 call from a woman who told dispatchers she was driving her truck with her boyfriend, identified as Estes, as her passenger, according to court files.
Estes had allowed her to step out of the truck, which enabled her to call 911, she told investigators.
She said Estes had pointed a gun at her. When he came back to the truck, his then-girlfriend stayed on the phone, pretending to be talking to a credit card company. She said the gun belonged to another person who hadn’t given Estes permission to take it.
The woman provided information to the dispatcher about their location and where they were headed. She drove Estes to visit a friend in Lewiston. When they arrived, Estes went inside while she waited outside.
When police arrived, Estes was leaving the building. He fled into a nearby apartment when he saw police and a seven hour standoff ensued. The occupant of that apartment managed to sneak out the back of the building onto a fire escape. She told police she had allowed Estes to enter the apartment and that he’d told her not to answer the door because he was wanted by police. She later gave police permission to enter the apartment.
The Maine State Police tactical team negotiated a peaceful end to the standoff after talking Estes into surrendering. Police executed a search warrant at the apartment into which Estes had fled and recovered the gun he had taken, a Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Further investigation revealed that the gun had been stolen.
Estes was prohibited from having the gun because of prior felony convictions that include trafficking in prison contraband, habitual offender, robbery, operating after revocation and aggravated operating after revocation.
He will remain in federal custody pending sentencing.
The case was investigated by Maine State Police; the Lewiston Police Department; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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