Police detail search that led to Dover-Foxcroft shelter-in-place order

By Wendy Watkins, Bangor Daily News Staff

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Police offered more information about the search that led to a shelter-in-place order Friday, July 18 in Dover-Foxcroft and ended with two men in custody.

The situation began around 6:30 a.m. Friday, when police responded to a disturbance at 23 Country Meadows Lane, according to a press release from the Dover-Foxcroft Police Department. Officers learned that at least one person at the residence had been involved in an earlier incident in Bangor, though they did not provide details.

Ryan Mooreside, 36, of Shapleigh, and Dilan McDougal, 32, of Orrington, were identified as occupants of an apartment in the complex. Both have felony convictions and were believed to be armed, prompting investigators to obtain a search warrant.

Because of the men’s criminal histories and the nature of the offenses, police requested assistance from Maine State Police, according to the release. 

Before the warrant could be executed, the two men and a “female associate” left the apartment, which was later searched without incident.

Around 5:22 p.m., officers responded to a possible hostage situation at the Irving gas station on West Main Street. McDougal was identified at the scene and taken into custody.

Mooreside, who had fled the area with the woman, was considered armed and dangerous. An extensive search on land and by air, involving multiple agencies and police dogs, continued into the night.

Around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, July 19, a tip led police to a wooded area between West Main Street and the Piscataquis River, where they found Mooreside and the woman. Mooreside was arrested without incident.

He has been charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and is being held on a probation violation.

McDougal is facing drug-related charges and is also being held on a probation violation.