Extreme Risk Protection Order Incident and OUI Lead to Lowell Man’s Arrest

February 23, 2026— by Scanner Alerts Media

A reported family fight in the Town of Lowell on Saturday night ended with an operating under the influence arrest and the removal of firearms through Maine’s Extreme Risk Protection Order (“Yellow Flag”) process.

On February 21, 2026, at approximately 7:45 p.m., the Penobscot County Regional Communication Center received a report of a family fight in Lowell. Dispatch advised that 48-year-old William Smith was intoxicated and was destroying the house. Smith left the residence before deputies arrived and was thought to have possibly had a firearm.

When deputies arrived, they received reports that Smith had caused damage to a residence and had made threats to retrieve a firearm. A witness later reported finding all three firearms on the property: two handguns located on the garage floor and a rifle found lying in the snow in the driveway.

While deputies were speaking with witnesses, they heard a pickup engine revving. Deputies then observed a white pickup traveling toward them on West Old Main Road. Witnesses confirmed the operator was Smith.

Deputies pursued the vehicle and found it stuck in a snowbank at the intersection of Lowell Road and Cedar Rest Road. Smith was placed under arrest for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor.

Based on the totality of the circumstances, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division completed the Extreme Risk Protection Order (Yellow Flag) process, and the firearms were removed from Smith’s residence.

Smith bailed out of the Penobscot County Jail on February 22, 2026.

Credit: Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office