A Belfast man faces several charges after allegedly punching a Portland police officer Monday morning during an altercation at Milestone Recovery on India Street, police said.
Nicholas Poirier, 38, refused to leave the property and was acting aggressively toward Milestone’s staff, police said. Milestone is a nonprofit that supports people dealing with substance use disorder and homelessness.
Poirier grabbed officers and punched one officer, police said, but the officers de-escalated the situation and took him into custody without further injury. Poirier was charged with assault, criminal threatening and refusing to submit to arrest.
F. Heath Gorham, Portland’s interim police chief, said Monday’s confrontation demonstrates that crisis intervention training, active listening and de-escalation techniques can be used effectively to avoid more serious outcomes. Gorham said all of the officers who responded to the call at Milestone were trained in “verbal judo.” Gorham said he hopes to train all his officers in crisis intervention and verbal judo techniques.
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