Steroid use is linked to shots at an officer in Maine

WINSLOW, Maine -- Steroids may have played a role in a shooting Thursday night in which gunfire from a 28-year-old man allegedly hit a police officer in the chest, striking his body armor inches from his throat, police said.

Police had been warned that the suspect, Bobby J. Miller, had been taking steroids when they were called to his home on a domestic call, said the Winslow police chief, Michael Heavener.

When officers arrived at the home and knocked on the glass door of Miller's bedroom, he rolled out of bed and fired at them, striking Officer Christopher Chase's body armor, Heavener said.

After the officers retreated, Miller called a police dispatcher and reported that he had fired at people trying to break into his house. When the dispatcher told him that he had fired at police, not burglars, Miller surrendered.

Heavener said that police found a significant quantity of steroids in Miller's home, and that Miller's behavior may have been linked to steroid use. Steroids, which are often used by body builders to increase muscle mass, have been linked to paranoia, and violence in some cases.

Miller was charged with aggravated assault and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. Chase was not hurt.