BANGOR, Maine — A Levant man charged with savagely beating and robbing his elderly father on Nov. 3 and keeping the 72-year-old from getting help was indicted Wednesday by the Penobscot County grand jury.

Fred Ward, 31, was indicted for burglary, robbery, aggravated assault and kidnapping.

Ward remained Wednesday at the Penobscot County Jail, unable to make bail.

He was arrested Nov. 4 by Bangor police when they went to check on the older man, who had called the previous evening to say that his son had kicked in the door of his Buck Street home.

Brendan Trainor, assistant district attorney for Penobscot County, earlier this month described the beating as “savage.” He also said that it was one of the most serious cases of elder abuse the Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office had dealt with recently.

When police found the elderly man, he had significant injuries to his head and face, according to Trainor. Both eyes were bruised and swollen shut and blood was coming from his mouth.

At first, the elderly man said he had fallen down, according to previous reports. Once the police arrested Ward for violating his bail, the elder Ward told police how his son had beaten him.

Information about the elder Ward’s recovery was unavailable Wednesday.

In addition to the charges on which he was indicted Wednesday, Fred Ward was charged with violating bail conditions in connection with a previous crime that also allegedly involved his father.

When Ward made his first court appearance in connection with the Nov. 3 incident, Superior Court Justice William Anderson ordered that he be held without bail until Dec. 20, when a hearing is scheduled to be held on a previous bail violation charge. The judge set bail for the alleged attack on the elder Ward at $100,000 cash. That bail could be posted after Dec. 20.

The bail violation charge stemmed from a June incident when Ward was charged with theft after he allegedly withdrew more cash than he had permission to with his father’s debit card. The younger Ward was at a Bangor hospital while his father was being seen by medical staff when he reportedly threatened to steal his father’s car, prompting a call to the Bangor Police Department, according to a previously published report.

When officers arrived, they found Ward’s father’s debit card in Ward’s possession, police said in June. A subsequent investigation concluded that Ward’s father had given him permission to withdraw a certain amount of cash but that Ward took out an extra $300, according to police. Ward’s bail condition on that theft charge included no contact with his father.

Ward was charged in September with stealing items from two stores in Milford, Trainor said earlier this month. That incident did not involve Ward’s father.

If convicted, Ward faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 on each of the kidnapping and robbery charges. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000 each on the aggravated assault and burglary charges.

Reprinted with permission from the Bangor Daily News.

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