A former Portland man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon after causing an armed standoff in the Brewer Walmart parking lot in 2021.
Patrick Mullen, 52, pleaded guilty on Feb. 10, 2022 to possessing a firearm despite a felony conviction, after his arrest in August 2021. He has been sentenced to three years and one month in prison, along with three years of supervised release, according to assistant U.S. attorney Andrew McCormack.
Mullen was arrested on Aug. 28, 2021, after creating a standoff at the Brewer Walmart that went on for nearly nine hours in a dispute over a $600 towing fee.
Police were called to the Walmart parking lot on Wilson Street about 4:05 p.m. on Aug. 27 for a disorderly call. A man had towed Mullen’s truck and camper from the Walmart in Ellsworth to the Brewer location, after which Mullen refused to pay the $600 towing fee and “freaked out” at the driver, prompting the 911 call, according to the police incident report.
While at the scene, police discovered that Mullen had numerous outstanding warrants.
Mullen became “agitated” and threatened to kill himself with a firearm, Brewer police said.
Officers then cleared the area around Mullen and placed the Walmart on lockdown. The ensuing standoff, which drew assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, Maine State Police and Bangor and Holden police departments, stretched well into the night, leaving customers sheltering in place in Walmart and closing nearby Ruby Tuesday’s.
That came to an end about 12:55 a.m. Aug. 28, when police arrested Mullen.
Along with the possession charge, Mullen was also accused of aggravated criminal mischief, a Class A crime, and creating a police standoff and violating a condition of release, both Class E crimes.