Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Scott Estes, 38, of Sabattus, Maine pled guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to possessing a stolen firearm and possessing a firearm after having been convicted of felony offenses.

According to court records, on November 13, 2017, Lewiston dispatchers received a 911 call from Estes’ then-girlfriend who was then located in a truck in which Estes has been a passenger.  Estes was not in the truck at the time of the call. Estes’ girlfriend reported that Estes had a firearm and that he had pointed it at her.  When Estes returned to the truck, his girlfriend remained on the call pretended to be speaking to a credit card company. She conveyed where they were and where they were going.  When the police arrived, Estes fled into a nearby apartment and a seven hour stand-off ensued.  The Maine State Police tactical team negotiated a peaceful end to the standoff.  The firearm, a Smith & Wesson .380 semi-automatic pistol, was recovered from the apartment into which Estes had fled.  Further investigation revealed that it was stolen.

Estes was also prohibited from possessing the firearm because of prior felony convictions for, among others, trafficking in prison contraband, robbery, and aggravated operating after revocation.

Estes faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was investigated by the Maine State Police; the Lewiston Police Department; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.