Is the Military Responsible for Robert Card’s Failed Mental Health Treatment in Maine Mass Killing?
Image by Amber Clay from Pixabay
2024/06/03
The aftermath of the Lewiston, Maine, mass shooting on October 25, 2023, has been marred by allegations against state and local police. Specifically, the questions surrounding the military’s decision to require state police to transport Robert Card to a private psychiatric facility, Four Winds in Katonah, New York appears an untouchable issue. Why?
The public is no closer to finding out who Card’s treating psychiatrist was and what cocktail of drugs Card was prescribed. What exactly was the psychiatric diagnosis Card received at Four Winds? All these questions must be answered before any investigation places blame on law enforcement.
According to a Portland Police report, members of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Unit (ESU) were accused of being intoxicated and nearly colliding with other officers during the manhunt for Card. However, Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce vehemently denies these claims, stating that an internal investigation found no evidence of intoxication among his officers that night. The conflicting accounts have raised concerns about the state of those responding to Maine’s worst tragedy in decades and the potential chaos caused by self-dispatching officers. However, the Military’s transportation choice for Card has allowed a loophole to exist and has been used as an excuse to avoid the release of the mental health treatment Card received at Four Winds.
Furthermore, questions must be answered regarding the military deciding to transfer Card to a civilian psychiatric facility, Four Winds Hospital, in New York via State Troopers. Even though Card’s commander ordered the reservist to get a psychiatric evaluation, questions remain why the military would not transfer him directly to a military psychiatric facility or transport him to Four Winds Hospital themselves?
This transportation loophole has allowed the referring psychologist and the treating psychiatrist’s names to be withheld along with the “treatment” history of a potential cocktail of psychiatric drugs to completely disappear off the radar. The evidence of this loophole is clear in the talking points Commissioner of Public Safety, Mike Sauschuck, used during his comments to declare Card had volunteered for treatment and, therefore, the mental health treatment records would remain unavailable to the public. But a conversation needs to occur whether Card “volunteered” for the psychiatric exam. Recall the video clip during Card’s transfer in the barracks. This conversation between state troopers and Card reveals a different story…a story of Card admitting that the military command had ordered the evaluation, and Card was instructed to follow orders. Hardly voluntary.
Card’s commanding officer made the decision during training, which prompted the call to New York State Troopers to escort Card to an Army facility at West Point. Ultimately, Card was transferred to the private Four Winds Hospital. Why? This decision by the Military commander to utilize State Troopers doesn’t release the Military of responsibility, as it was the military who ordered the evaluation on Card.
The decision to transfer Card to a civilian facility raises questions about the military’s handling of the situation and whether proper protocols were followed. It is unclear why Card was not admitted to a military psychiatric facility. The new allegations against the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and the military’s role in Card’s transfer have fueled concerns about the response to the mass shooting and the potential for miscommunication and lack of coordination among various agencies.
However, one can speculate that by remaining silent about how Card’s psychiatric evaluation was handled, the military can walk away from any responsibility for Card’s violent murderous behavior. Also, those who “treated” Card at Four Winds Hospital can continue to conceal Card’s mental health records, including all psychiatric drug “treatments” it may have prescribed.
It’s time to stop hiding this important information. It’s time to make public Card’s mental health records, including the psychiatric drugs he was prescribed. Placing blame on Maine’s finest is just a distraction from another behavioral health interjection that didn’t work and, in fact, was harmful. Another case of mental health help, but no one is getting better.
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