New Hampshire man charged in assault of 2 women in Maine

Maine police say a New Hampshire man assaulted two women in Baldwin on Friday night after an argument escalated in the home.

James C. Caston

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department charged James C. Caston, 26, of North Conway, N.H., with two counts each of aggravated assault and criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon. He also faces charges of gross sexual assault, domestic violence criminal threatening, domestic violence terrorizing and criminal mischief.

The first call for help came from a neighbor on Pequawket Trail about 9 p.m., after a woman showed up on her doorstep in bare feet, saying she escaped an assault and needed help. The woman said her friend was also in the house, along with the elderly homeowner, and that her boyfriend was threatening them with a knife.

Police say Caston and his girlfriend arrived at the home Thursday evening to visit someone who lives there. At some point in the morning on Friday, Caston and his girlfriend began to argue. A physical assault followed, police said.

A female friend at the home tried to intervene, but Caston assaulted the friend, police said. During the assault, police say, Caston threatened the women with a knife and choked them with an electrical cord. Caston also smashed through a door using a baseball bat to reach the women, police alleged in a statement.

Both women were treated at the scene for injuries, but were not transported to a hospital.

Caston denied any problem at the home, but police said he had blood on his hands, and one of the women in the home had facial injuries. He was being held without bail at the Cumberland County Jail.