A Franklin County deputy sheriff closed a pair of unrelated cases.
CHESTERVILLE – Two men were arrested in Chesterville last week on unrelated criminal charges.
One was arrested on an outstanding warrant for forgery in New Hampshire.
The other was charged in connection with the beating of a woman with the butt of a rifle. She was also threatened with death.
Deputy David Rackcliffe of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department was the arresting officer in both cases.
The first arrest, which occurred last Tuesday, came after a Chesterville resident called police with a complaint against Jason Fowler, 29.
During his investigation, Rackcliffe determined that a warrant from New Hampshire charging Fowler with forgery was outstanding. He was arrested and transferred the following day to the Granite State to answer the warrant charge, Rackcliffe said.
Assisting in the investigation was Lt. Niles Yeaton, Cpl. Stephen Charles, Detective David St. Laurent, Deputy Sandy Burke and Deputy Aaron Turcotte.
On Friday, Rackcliffe was back in Chesterville to arrest 41-year-old Gerard Devine.
Two days before the arrest, police in Trumbull, Conn., called the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and said that a female had checked into the emergency room at a Trumbull hospital and claimed she received injuries at Devine’s Chesterville trailer at 151 Horseshoe Pond Road.
The victim claimed that between Nov. 20 and 22, Devine had beat her with his fists, pushed her down the stairs and beat her with the butt of a rifle, which he then allegedly pointed at her and threatened to kill her.
A friend of the woman’s who had called Devine’s home looking for her came to Maine to pick her up after hearing screaming in the background.
Police said the woman sought treatment at the hospital in Connecticut because she was on probation for a crime in Connecticut and not legally allowed to leave that state. She had been living with Devine in the trailer since September, Rackcliffe said.
Using a search warrant, police discovered a pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun in Devine’s home on Friday but did not find the rifle used in the alleged beating.
However, Connecticut police did find ammo that fit the weapon the victim described at Devine’s parent’s home in Connecticut, where Devine spent the Thanksgiving holiday.
Devine was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault, felony criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and felony terrorizing with a firearm.
He posted $450 cash bail and was released, according to jail documents. He will make his first appearance on the charges in Franklin County District Court on Jan. 28.
The woman has since been discharged from the Connecticut hospital, Rackcliffe said.
Assisting in the investigation, Rackcliffe said, was Cpl. Charles, Detective St. Laurent, Cpl. Bean and deputies Burke and Heidi Gould, all of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department.
sdepoy@sunjournal.com
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