March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Hacksaw blades found in prisoner’s sneakers

ALFRED — A Portland man awaiting sentence for murder has been transferred to Maine’s most secure prison after authorities found three hacksaw blades concealed in a pair of sneakers being delivered to him at the York County Jail.

The mother of Steven Schoff Jr. denied knowledge of how the blades wound up beneath the insoles of the Converse high-tops she dropped off at the jail Tuesday night, officials said.

Earlier that day, Schoff, 26, of Portland pleaded guilty to murder in the April 1996 shooting death of Devin O’Brien, 20, of Kennebunkport at a gravel pit in Lyman. The plea, which has yet to be accepted, would cap Schoff’s sentence at 30 years.

The hacksaw blades in the sneakers left for Schoff were found during a routine inspection, Maj. Dennis Daniels, jail administrator, said Wednesday.

Two of the blades — which are used to cut through metal — were 12 to 14 inches long, Daniels said. A third was half the size. The glue underneath the insoles was wet.

Daniels said Joyce Schoff told sheriff’s deputies she knew nothing about the blades found in the shoes she left at the jail. Reached later at her Lyman home, she declined comment.

No charges have been filed against Joyce Schoff or her son, but the investigation was continuing.

Superior Court Justice Nancy Mills approved Wednesday a request by the jail and the state Attorney General’s Office to move Steven Schoff to the Maine Correctional Center in Warren, the state’s so-called Supermax.

Authorities also told the judge they were concerned about the discovery Wednesday morning that a chunk of cement wall in Schoff’s jail cell had been damaged.

Schoff’s attorneys argued against the transfer, saying the York County location made it easier to meet with their client.

Schoff is charged with shooting O’Brien — a man he met at a bar hours earlier — three times with two guns.

Schoff can withdraw his guilty plea if defense lawyers can persuade the Supreme Judicial Court to bar some of the statements he made to police.


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