Maine 'hermit' sentenced to re-enter society with counseling

'Christopher Knight' the Maine Hermit who has spent 27 years living in the woods has pleaded guilty on Monday to burglary and theft in a deal in which he will receive mental health counseling to re-enter society.

Judge Nancy Mills, of Maine Superior Court, ordered Christopher Knight, 47, to check in weekly with the court to confirm that he is either working full time, attend schooling or volunteering, and undergoing mental health counseling for a year to ensure a "successful" return to the community.
"This is someone who has had no involvement with anybody for 27 years," Knight's lawyer, Walter McKee, said. "It's a very unique case, a very unique sentence for a very unique person."
Knight said he walked into the woods in 1986 shortly after he heard about the Chernobyl nuclear accident and claims to have had little human contact since.
He pleaded guilty on Monday to 13 counts of burglary and theft, and was returned to jail to await his release when terms of the agreement are finalized.
Knight was arrested in April after police said they caught him stealing food and supplies he needed to survive from a summer camp for the disabled along North Pond about 20 miles west of Maine's capital of Augusta.
Gaunt and pale with a full beard, Knight listened quietly as Mills asked if he understood he would be required to tell his court-appointed case manager "the truth" in order to receive the best rehabilitation treatment possible.

"Who will decide what is the truth?" Knight replied.

McKee said Knight poses no threat to society, but it was still unclear where he would reside upon release.

ah I think this is kind of sad, I mean the man has never hurt anyone, bar from stealing some jars of peanut butter etc, its not like he physically assaulted anyone or threatened violence. I suppose tho if he had to steal to sustain himself then maybe he is much better off with some sort of income so he can provide for himself better, and he is lucky they didn't lock him up. I hope he reintergrates okay.

[url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/28/us-usa-maine-hermit-idUSBRE99R12Q20131028?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=401]link[/u rl]

reply to post by Lady_Tuatha


First chance he gets , that Guy is headed back to the Woods for Good after the " Man " gets done with him.........

Once he discovers internet porn I'm sure he will be glad he came back to society.

Just a guess.

reply to post by Spookybelle


Lol , could be .............

I love the reply to the judge concerning telling the truth, "Who will decide what is the truth?" I would have loved to seen the judge's face when he asked that.

reply to post by Lady_Tuatha


Interesting how you minimize the criminal aspect of this case. He had been stealing from people for years. He's a thief.

reply to post by Restricted



Yes he's a thief, the text I quoted did mention burglary and theft. I haven't attempted to minimize anything.

so?

Am I not allowed to feel sorry for him?

Lets see, the Judge ordered him to undergo psychiatric counseling, so, he must be disabled. He was caught stealing food stuffs from a Camp for the disabled? Sounds like the food was put there for him. Was he really stealing??????????

walk a mile in another man's shoes............

I too feel a little sad for this fellow.
Granted, yes, he was stealing to subsidize his survival in the wild, but, it's not like he was stealing bling, credit cards, cars, computers, people's identities, or anything on the order of what the suits on Wall Street, or inside the DC beltway are stealing.

Additionally, he's showed no threat to anyone.

He's not ruining anyone's lives, other than perhaps his own, but the latter is entirely a matter of philosophical debate.

I'm going to bet this fellow vanishes as soon as he's out of eyeball's range, back to the wilderness, but, perhaps another area after picking up any caches he's stored around his old stomps.

The one question he asked the judges indicates above average intelligence, though it also indicates an ingrained affiliation with paranoia, but, all in all, the man was no threat or harm to anyone, and beyond getting some fingers wagged at him and a little bit of stink-eye for making off with some trail mix, or other inconsequentials, attempting to put a societal leash on the fellow, to me, equates to cruel.

reply to post by AliceBleachWhite


The Man was living for 27 Years OFF THE GRID...........I Envy him.......sigh...

I had heard about this guy a while back & was wondering what was gona' happen with him.
Honestly, I have thought about doing practically the same thing rather than deal with the crap our society has become, let alone the "Government" or the corporate bull that really runs the show. [for the most part...] Hell this guy had the stones to go out there & LIVE.

From what I had heard he had been stealing his supply's mostly from peoples seasonal cabins & timeshare type properties in many cases staying in some of these homes for some time & oddly in some cases cleaning the home before leaving, although in a few cases he 'trashed' the house.

So now what for the guy? He's going to re-enter society & work a part-time job for squat per-hour or live paycheck to paycheck - [like most of us...] on his 'Disability' checks? No wait he could join a workers union! Lol!

I think sometimes about going out into the wilderness to just live out there [more like survive] & then I think Alaska... Yeah, same difference.

The man, being 47 years old, is pretty much screwed for trying to 'reintegrate into society.' As has been said, the guy is pretty clever, enough so that he could survive on his own wits and not a court system or welfare junket. Sure, he was a sneak thief. His problem is that he doesn't own a law degree to make his theft legal. Lawyers are allowed to rob you blind. Soldiers are allowed to murder. Oh, and polticians do both. Only because they have a piece of paper that somehow gives them the right.

No matter what skills this guy possesses, the only way he will get a job or be allowed to 'volunteer' will be if someone is willing to put their entire career, (and sacred piece of paper), on the line. It is a high risk, low reward situation in a land where "yeah, you made me a #ton of money yesterday, but what have you done for me lately?" "You should feel lucky you even have a job."

It is pretty difficult to volunteer for organizations unless you are forced to. Most are guilted into it. Those people are fine.
If you are forced by the courts... You need them, they don't typically care for your help.

The guy had a good run, but he's pretty much owned now.

He'll suicide in two years.

reply to post by cavtrooper7


If he can't get himself back off the grid, I would concur.

Well, if there had to be a punishment, they probably chose the right one for him.

Re-entering "society" by someone else's definition of how I should act and think and feel would be a punishment for me too.

I find this to be disgusting. I have never seen any law saying that a person MUST participate in society. To force this man to is criminal.

reply to post by Lady_Tuatha

he walked into the woods in 1986 shortly after he heard about the Chernobyl nuclear accident and claims to have had little human contact since.

Imagine what he'll do when he finds out about Fukushima.

That guy was probably off his game to be caught like that.

He should do some law research while he is back in society and find where there are laws that allow him to squat, glean farm fields, take road-kill, etc., so he doesn't have to break a bunch of laws to survive.

After that, he can disappear back into the wilderness somewhere and have the laws on his side.

captaintyinknots
I find this to be disgusting. I have never seen any law saying that a person MUST participate in society. To force this man to is criminal.

It is unwritten yet heavily enforced via making examples and casting negative light on this man and those like him.To me his theft crimes are petty,and yes, I would say the same if I were one whose property was broken into. Nothing on a small scale that those who point fingers of authority and accusation do not do on a grand scale. I too,envy him. But I know for sure,this reintegration might as well be a death sentence. Sickening.