AUBURN — A judge granted a civil rights injunction Wednesday against a Turner man after testimony that he used anti-gay slurs and twice rammed a man’s car as he fled for help.

Androscoggin County Superior Court Justice MaryGay Kennedy granted the injunction against Ronald Champagne, 50, who faces up to a year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine if he violates the Maine Civil Rights Act by threatening or assaulting any protected person.

The Maine Attorney General’s Office is charged with investigating such complaints. Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin told Justice Kennedy on Wednesday that evidence showed Champagne used violence against Paul Groleau, 60, of Greene.

“Mr. Champagne’s conversations with responding officers seemed to have showed somewhat of an obsession or fixation on the Auburn causeway and the ‘queers’ that frequent there,” Robbin told the court. She said Groleau was simply “in the wrong place at the time.”

Groleau testified that on the night of March 22, he was driving home from his maintenance job at Central Maine Community College when he pulled into the Lake Auburn causeway on Route 4 to take care of bottles that were rolling around in the back of his Subaru Forrester. A moment later, Champagne pulled in with his Cadillac and began yelling homosexual slurs, Groleau said.

“I’m going to ram your ass right into the lake!” Champagne yelled, according to Groleau’s testimony. The Cadillac made a U-turn as if to follow through on the threat.

“I assumed he was serious and took off because I didn’t want to get rammed,” Groleau said. He headed for downtown Auburn as he called police for help. The Cadillac followed.

Robbin played recordings of Groleau’s 911 calls for the court.

“I’ve got this maniac chasing me,” Groleau told the emergency dispatcher in the recording. “He’s going to hit me! He’s going to hit me!”

Groleau said his car was hit twice as he raced down Center Street, first inbound toward Auburn and later, after turning around during the chase, as he headed toward Turner. One of the collisions knocked the phone out of Groleau’s hand, forcing him to call police a second time.

After the second impact, the Cadillac sped away. Groleau, who was unhurt, stopped at a car dealership parking lot and waited for police. During the chase, he had managed to get the first four numbers of the Cadillac’s license plate.

The numbers led Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Deputy Travis Lovering to Champagne.

Only one day earlier, Champagne had complained about the causeway and referred to it with an anti-gay slur, Lovering testified. The slur came up again the following night as Lovering questioned Champagne at his home.

Champagne used it again with Auburn police, Patrol Officer Mark Lemos said.

Champagne offered no refuting testimony.

Citing a possible criminal charge in the matter, lawyer Allan Lobozzo counseled Champagne to cite his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.

When Robbin asked Champagne a question, he replied, “Plead the fifth.”

He did so 14 times.

In a brief closing statement, Lobozzo argued that evidence placed Champagne’s Cadillac at the scene but not its owner.

Under the Maine Civil Rights Act, the Maine Attorney General’s Office can obtain injunctions against individuals who use physical force or violence or the threat of physical force or violence motivated by bias against race, color, religion, sex, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, or physical or mental disability.

dhartill@sunjournal.com

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