CHESTERVILLE — A local man said he was awakened at about 4 a.m. Nov. 24 when two men entered his camper, according to a Maine State Police affidavit.

William Norton, 56, of Chesterville told police he landed on his stomach in his dirt driveway after Clarence “Chuck” White, 49, and Michael Morse, 39, both of Wilton, threw him out of the camper, the affidavit states. Norton told police that Morse climbed on top of him and held a knife to his throat and told him “he was going to kill him.”

While Morse was on top of him, White and Cherith Andresen, 32, also of Wilton, hogtied him with plastic zip ties, he told Maine State Police Trooper Joshua Birmingham.

White, Morse and Andresen appeared Monday at a Lewiston court for a bail hearing on charges of kidnapping and aggravated criminal trespass. Morse has an additional charge of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and Andresen has a domestic violence assault stemming from the incident. The judge set bail ranging from $5,000 for White and $10,000 for Andresen.

Andresen’s attorney told the court that she had a relationship with Norton.

The three were arrested on Thanksgiving Day after a search warrant was executed at a Wilton apartment, Birmingham said early Tuesday.

They remained in Somerset County Jail in Madison on Tuesday.

Birmingham arrested Norton on Nov. 24 on a warrant on a charge of operating under the influence.

Birmingham said in his probable cause affidavits on the kidnapping charges that he interviewed all three suspects. Both Morse and Andresen admitted that they went to Norton’s trailer “to teach him a lesson” so that he would stop harassing them, the affidavit states. Morse and Andresen denied that Norton was ever threatened with the knife and that they only used the knife to cut him free from zip ties, it states. White said that Norton was lying and that the incident never occurred, it states.

Norton told police that either Andresen or White took off one of his socks and was going to use it as a gag to keep him quiet, the affidavit states. Norton also said Morse was going to take him in a vehicle and dump him on side of the road somewhere, it states.

Norton also told police that Andresen grabbed him by the hair on the back of his head and smashed his face on the ground. He also told Birmingham that when White and Andresen left, they cut the zip ties off from his feet leaving a knife behind. Norton was able to get back into his camper where he cut the two zip ties from his wrists, the affidavit states.

Norton, knowing he had warrants out for his arrest, hesitated for several hours before calling 911 at 7:46 a.m., the document states.

When Birmingham arrived he observed several bumps and bruises on Norton’s head, face and arms, he stated in the affidavit.

Birmingham also said he saw several white plastic ties on the ground outside of Norton’s camper and located two zip ties in the camper that Norton had cut from his wrists. He also located a sock.

Norton told police that he had placed the knife in a sandwich bag. Birmingham wrote that he noticed a cut on Norton’s left hand and Norton told him he was able to punch one of his assailants but did not know who he actually hit, Birmingham stated.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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