Lewiston police

say they have enough to convict Michael Heon.
By Mark LaFlamme
Staff Writer

LEWISTON – A man accused of shooting two people as they sat in a car on Lexington Street last month was indicted Wednesday by an Androscoggin County grand jury.

Michael Heon, 46, remained at the Androscoggin County Jail on charges including aggravated attempted murder and elevated aggravated assault.

Police said Heon fired at the man and woman with a shotgun Nov. 1 after he was spurned by a lady friend and fired from his job.

Heon fired a single shot at the couple as they sat in a car at Lexington and Westminster streets, according to a police affidavit.

In the driver’s seat, 38-year-old Richard Dehart was struck in the shoulder and neck by the shotgun blast, police said. Next to him, Fernande Thibodeau, 52, was struck in the neck and ear by pellets.

Dehart was able to drive away from the area after the 3:45 p.m. shooting, police said. The couple went to a Big Apple store on Lisbon Street where witnesses called for help.

Both victims later recovered from their injuries. Police said Heon fled in his pickup truck after firing the shot.

While Lewiston police investigators say they have enough evidence to convict Heon, the shotgun has not been recovered. In recent days, police sent scuba divers into sections of the Androscoggin River in search of the weapon.

Meanwhile, the case is still being investigated.

Investigators said Heon and Thibodeau had both worked at White Rock Distilleries, near the shooting scene, and that they were once friends.

However, Heon began demanding more of a personal relationship from her, according to the police affidavit. When Heon began harassing Thibodeau at White Rock, he was fired from that job, investigators said.

Detectives said Dehart and Thibodeau are involved in a relationship and that they live together. Dehart told police Heon had frequently driven by the couple’s home, leaving threatening notes there.

The day of the shooting, Dehart and Thibodeau were driving from the University of Southern Maine on Westminster Street when they spotted Heon driving in the area.

“Dehart stopped his car to tell Heon to stop harassing them. Heon then exited his truck and walked toward Dehart’s car,” Lewiston police Detective Brian O’Malley wrote in the court document.

“Heon stated, ‘I’ve got a gun!’ Heon was about 6 feet away when he raised a shotgun and pointed it at Dehart and Thibodeau. Heon then fired a single shot into the car, striking Dehart and Thibodeau.”

While the couple was being treated for their wounds, police were searching for their suspect. Roughly an hour after the shooting, an off-duty Auburn police officer spotted Heon’s truck at Russell and College streets. He contacted Lewiston police who arrested Heon near his Davis Street home.

The grand jury, which rose Wednesday, indicted Heon on eight counts: two counts each of aggravated attempted murder, elevated aggravated assault, attempted murder and aggravated assault.

Heon is expected to appear for arraignment next week in Androscoggin County Superior Court.

mlaflamme@sunjournal.com

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