LEWISTON – A local attorney’s request to have comments limited about an incident at a local mosque has been forwarded to Androscoggin County Superior Court.
Lawyer James Howaniec has asked that police, city workers and prosecutors be barred from making public statements about the July 3 incident during which a pig head was hurled into a Lisbon Street mosque.
Brent Matthews, 33, of College Road, has been charged with defacement and desecration of a place or worship. Howaniec has requested a jury trial. The matter of the gag order and other components of the case have been moved to superior court.
“My main goal here is to try and temper the public discussion about this case,” Howaniec said Thursday. “I’m really hoping to resolve it in court, where it belongs.”
Since Matthews was arrested, police and city leaders have held a news conference. A public gathering in support of the Somali community was held Wednesday in Kennedy Park. News media from around the world have been covering the story since it broke.
“I’m basically learning about the state’s case in the newspaper,” Howaniec said. “I’m hoping we can resolve it without more public hyperbole.”
Police and city officials said they held the news conference last week in large part to put a halt to misinformation being spread about the case. Police Chief William Welch said it was important for them to dispel rumors surrounding the case.
Meanwhile, Matthews remains free on $200 cash bail. He has not talked to the media about the pig’s-head hurling incident.
The Attorney General’s Office is reviewing the case to see if Matthews’ may have violated the Maine Civil Rights Act.
But Howaniec stressed that Matthews is currently facing a misdemeanor only and has not been found guilty of that charge.
“A lot of people seem to forget that this person is presumed innocent,” the lawyer said.
In Superior Court, Howaniec also plans to argue some points of Matthews’ bail conditions. Among them, the suspect is prohibited from drinking alcohol and from having contact with members of the Muslim community.
Alcohol was not said to be a factor in the incident, Howaniec said, and, therefore, should not be listed as a bail condition.
Avoiding contact with Muslims, he added, might be difficult in a small city with a large Somali population.
The issue of bail conditions was scheduled for a hearing July 20.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.