STAFF REPORT

A judge has recommended dismissal of all claims against three members of the Kennebec County Sheriff's Department and the county itself involving a standoff in July 2005 in Fayette.

Jason Palm, now of Morganton, N.C., had sued state and county officials over their actions, which resulted in his wife being removed from their Shore Road home in Fayette and then taken for psychiatric treatment.

Magistrate Justice Margaret Kravchuk recommended that the county defendants' motion for summary judgment be granted.

The county defendants were former Sheriff Everett B. Flannery and deputies Jeffrey Wrigley and Michael S. Durham, along with the county.

Palm and his wife initially sought $70,000 from the county and the state, saying their constitutional rights were violated and their home illegally damaged in the standoff, which ended when tear gas was used to force Charlotte Palm from the house. The sought-after amount also included some medical treatment for both Palms.

The incident occurred after Jason Palm called 911 to obtain emergency medical assistance for his mother-in-law, according to court documents.

The documents also disclosed that after the mother-in-law was removed, Jason Palm told a deputy that Charlotte Palm was alone in the house, armed and possibly suicidal. Shots were fired by Charlotte Palm and police. No one was injured.

Charlotte Palm separately filed a federal lawsuit against medical personnel who treated her after she was removed from the scene. A number of those claims have been dismissed.

The recommendation in the Jason Palm case will be forwarded to U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby. His claims against state officials were dismissed earlier.