Camp Modin has filed for an emergency protection order against a neighboring property owner in the wake of a shooting incident that sent the Maine Jewish summer camp into lockdown in early August.
The August 7 incident began with an angry verbal confrontation over a damaged tractor and quickly escalated into gunfire, forcing hundreds of children and staff members to shelter while roughly 20 rounds from a semi-automatic rifle were discharged in various directions, including toward a basketball court at the back of the camp.
According to local reporting from Central Maine reviewing court documents, the emergency protection order would temporarily block 36-year-old Nathan R. Hewett of Belgrade, Maine, from camp premises and from having any contact with camp personnel.
In his request for the order, camp owner and executive director Pascal Cohen stated that Hewett deliberately disrupts the grounds by shining vehicle high beams and launching late-night fireworks, alongside a pattern of discharging firearms nearby that causes distress to campers.
Camp security guards detail escalating confrontation
The court records detail an initial confrontation on the evening of August 7, when Hewett and his father, Raymond, walked up to the property to demand an interaction with a staff member.
According to statements submitted by Joshua Ewing, an armed security guard and former law enforcement officer, the younger Hewett blamed the camp for wrecking his tractor lawn mower after hitting an obstacle.
Ewing recounted that while Raymond engaged calmly and privately expressed concern that his son posed a danger, Nathan Hewett lost his temper, hurling insults and profanities while acting entirely irrational.
Additional testimony in the filings from security guard Timothy Black claimed that tensions had been simmering for weeks, pointing to a July complaint from Hewett regarding the volume of the campers, accompanied by veiled threats about the noise levels.
Black further alleged in the court paperwork that the neighbor regularly crossed to the boundary line to hurl abuse, a behavior exacerbated whenever he drank alcohol.
Minutes after Hewett walked away from the initial verbal clash, both guards reported hearing rounds fired from a powerful rifle, prompting them to immediately lock down the facility.
Deputies seize 23 firearms after shooting
According to the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office and deputy affidavits, responding deputies found the camp under lockdown while Hewett discharged approximately 20 rounds from a .22-caliber semi-automatic rifle, with shell casings suggesting bullets may have been directed at a basketball court near the back of the camp.
Deputy Tyler Johnson stated in his probable cause affidavit that Hewett was suspected of using alcohol and harboring an antisemitic bias during the incident. Law enforcement officers subsequently seized 23 firearms from Hewett’s property, many of which were semi-automatic.
Hewett faces multiple felony counts – including reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, and terrorizing.
While Hewett was initially held on $50,000 bail following his arrest, local court tracking reported by Central Maine confirms he has since been released.
Camp seeks protection order as criminal case continues
The hearing on the camp’s request for a protection order is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. next Monday at the Capital Judicial Center, while Hewett’s next court date on the criminal charges is set for November 10.
