A Hermon man accused of shooting his brother pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge of possessing a gun.
Todd Whitman, 38, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon in U.S. District Court of Maine in Bangor. Law enforcement found two guns while investigating a shooting on Nov. 20, 2024, on Franklin Street near Harlow Street in Bangor.
Whitman allegedly shot his brother around 9 p.m. that day after they had been drinking while parked on Franklin Street. The two men argued because Whitman wanted to drive, officials said previously. The brother survived.
Whitman had a pistol and a revolver, records said. He told police he kept the revolver loaded and in the center console of his vehicle, while he said the pistol did not fire because it had a broken operating pin.
Whitman had been found guilty of four counts of burglary between 2005 and 2017, according to court records. Three of those cases were in Penobscot County and one was in Waldo County.
After the shooting he was charged in Penobscot County Superior Court with elevated aggravated assault, theft, eluding an officer, possession of firearm by prohibited person, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, operating under the influence and driving to endanger. That case was dismissed because of the federal prosecution, according to court records.
Whitman will forfeit the guns and some ammunition to the federal government as part of the plea.
The charge carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. Whitman will be sentenced at a later date. He is held in the Hancock County Jail.
