LEWISTON — A man who police say savagely beat a clerk with bottles from an upscale wine shop denied charges stemming from the assault Friday in court.

Arthur Bush, 46, of 45 Shawmut St. entered not guilty pleas to a charge of robbery and two counts of aggravated assault at 8th District Court.

He continued to be held at Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn in lieu of $150,000 cash bail or a supervised release contract.

An Androscoggin County grand jury indicted Bush on Wednesday on the three counts.

The robbery charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison; each aggravated assault charge, up to 10 years.

If released, Bush is barred from having illegal drugs or weapons and can be searched for both at random. He must have no contact with the shop clerk and may not be on Lisbon Street, where the shop is located, except to attend his required appearance at 8th District Court, a judge said.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 28. The earliest he could go to trial would be in November.

Police said Bush robbed and beat a clerk at The Vault, a shop featuring fine wines and beer, on a Saturday afternoon in late July. The clerk was discovered by two customers as she was leaving a bathroom, covered in blood and hysterical.

She underwent surgery at a local hospital for her wounds.

Bush beat the clerk in the head with wine bottles from the store when she was in the middle of a sale, police said. He pinned her on the floor and threatened to kill her.

After the assault, Bush dragged the clerk into a bathroom where she managed to lock the door.

Bush failed to open the cash register and stole $4 from the clerk’s wallet before fleeing, police said, then used the stolen cash to buy cigarettes.

He apparently confessed to police and said he needed the money to pay a $200 debt to a drug dealer.

cwilliams@sunjournal.com

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