LEWISTON — An Auburn man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl faces five felony charges in connection with a Monday incident in Auburn.
Razel M. Gavin Androscoggin County Jail photo
Razel M. Gavin, 24, appeared Wednesday in 8th District Court by videoconference from Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn where he’s being held without bail pending a Monday hearing.
Judge Rae Ann French reviewed the charges, including kidnapping and two counts of gross sexual assault, each punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Gavin also was charged with aggravated assault, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A charge of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon is punishable by up to five years in prison.
French told Gavin on Wednesday that he didn’t need to enter pleas to the charges. In order to proceed to trial, felonies must be presented to a grand jury for indictment after findings of probable cause. A defendant may waive his right to have a felony charge reviewed by a grand jury.
A Harnish bail hearing was scheduled for Monday, May 2, at which a judge will hear the state’s case against Gavin and decide whether bail will be allowed.
Assistant District Attorney Katherine Bozeman filed a motion to seal the affidavit in the case, she later said, partly to keep details of the case out of the media. French said she would impound the document until Monday’s hearing, when arguments on Bozeman’s motion also would be heard.
Judge French appointed Auburn attorney Henry Griffin to represent Gavin.
Police said Gavin kidnapped the girl near her home Monday evening before assaulting her multiple times over four hours.
Gavin was arrested about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday when they spotted him driving a Volvo station wagon on Minot Avenue.
On Monday night police had been called to a home for a report of a missing teenager. That girl’s parents had been called by a concerned friend, police said.
The missing girl was last seen by her parents in a parking lot across the street from their home.
Surveillance video from a local business showed a dark-colored Volvo station wagon with a male operator entering the parking lot and leaving a short time later, police said.
Assisted by other law enforcement agencies, Auburn police located a car matching that description on Minot Avenue. The driver was pulled over and a girl identified as the missing teen was inside with visible signs of assault, according to police.
Gavin also had a loaded firearm in the car, police said.
The girl told investigators she had been threatened by Gavin with a firearm, assaulted and forced into his car, police said.
Police said the girl didn’t know Gavin.
The girl was taken to a local hospital for treatment and reunited with her family.
According to the State Bureau of Identification, Gavin has no criminal history in Maine.
A Google search showed he had lived in Portland and went to high school school there, then lived in Poland in 2016.
Copy the Story LinkComments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
