WINSLOW (AP) – A Kennebec County sheriff’s deputy survived being shot in the chest while responding to a domestic violence call, officials said Friday.

Deputy Christopher Chase’s body armor stopped the bullet that was fired through a plate glass window after he and a Winslow police officer approached a home Thursday night, said Maj. John Perkins of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Department.

It wasn’t until Chase took cover that he realized he’d been hit.

“He was in a lot of pain but nothing compared to having a gunshot wound,” Perkins said. Chase left the emergency room after a shot of lidocaine and a couple of stitches, he said.

The assailant, Bob E. Miller, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and reckless conduct with a firearm, Perkins said. The charges could be upgraded to attempted murder, but that’s up to the district attorney, he said.

The episode unfolded after Winslow police received a domestic assault call. Chase was asked to provide backup because he had a police dog.

The pair went to the back of the house and the Winslow officer knocked on the sliding glass doors outside the room where Miller was believed to be sleeping, Perkins said. The man woke up and fired through the glass with a 9mm handgun, he said.

Perkins joined Chase at the emergency room. Chase had a welt at the point of impact, and he needed two stitches, Perkins said.

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