‘Believe he’s going to snap’: New texts, letter show concerns Robert Card would carry out shootings

LEWISTON, Maine — Newly released text messages sent by a United States Army Reserve representative display a high level of concern regarding the mental health problems of fellow reservist Robert Card weeks before he committed the mass shootings that killed 18 people and wounded more than a dozen more in Lewiston, Maine.

In the texts from an individual only identified as Sergeant Hodgson, the reservist describes to training supervisor Kelvin Mote how he fears Card will “snap” and commit a mass shooting.

“Change the passcode to the unit gate and be armed if Sergeant First Class Card does arrive. Please I believe he’s messed up in the head,” the texts read.

Hodgson’s texts go on to describe how he loved Card “to death” but was concerned Card was still in possession of weapons and “hearing things he thinks he heard.”

“I believe he’s going to snap and commit a mass shooting,” the last text reads.

New documents show the concerns were relayed to the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office by Mote, who works at the Ellsworth Police Department.

Mote writes that Card has been hearing voices insulting him, including calling him a pedophile. Mote says that in July, Card accused his fellow reservists of insulting him and retaliated by shoving one of them at a convenience store.

Mote says he met Card at a hotel the next morning, where the Army Reservesman would go on to say that he wanted people to stop talking to him.

“I told him no one was talking about him and everyone here was his friend. Card told me to leave him alone and tried to slam the door in my face. One of the soldiers stopped the door from closing with his foot. I decided, after talking with my commander, that Card needed to be evaluated,” Mote describes.

Card was then involuntarily committed to Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital in New York for two weeks, according to the letter.

Mote said that when he went to visit Card, the reserve never spoke.

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“Just stared through me without blinking,” Mote writes.

During a trip home from a casino in September, Card also allegedly assaulted the sergeant identified as Hogdson, accusing his fellow reserve of calling him a pedophile. According to the letter, Card told Hogdson he had “guns and is going to shoot up the drill center at Saco and other places.”

While asking for a well-being check on Card, Mote describes his concern.

“I would rather err on the side of caution with regards to Card since he is a capable marksman and, if he should set his mind to carry out the threats made to Hodgson, he would be able to do it,’ Mote said.

Card was found dead inside a trailer in an overflow parking lot by the Maine Recycling Facility on Friday night.

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