BANGOR — A Bradford man who found his ex-girlfriend asleep on the couch in her home with another man early Saturday reportedly used a baseball bat to assault him and damage his car, Assistant District Attorney Susan Pope said at the suspect’s first court appearance.
Richard Brooks, 19, who has no criminal background, was charged with felony aggravated assault after the early morning incident on the Darling Road in Hudson. He faces a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000, if convicted.
“The defendant entered the house where the two were sleeping on the couch,” Pope said.
Brooks left the residence and used a baseball bat to break the windows on the visiting man’s car, she said, adding that when the visiting man went outside, “he was struck in the face several times.” Pope did not say whether Brooks had brought the bat with him or took it from the woman’s house.
One strike with the baseball bat was hard enough to knock the visiting man to the ground, said Pope, who requested a $20,000 bail.
“Mr. Brooks continued to hit him while he was on the ground,” the state prosecutor said.
Dennis Hamrick, the court-appointed attorney for the day, said the incident was “an anomaly” for Brooks during the videoconference from the Penobscot County Jail to the Penobscot Judicial Center.
“He has no juvenile or adult (criminal) history,” the attorney said.
Hamrick said the Brooks has little money available and requested a low bail or a surety bail.
District Court Judge John Lucy set Brooks’ bail at $10,000 cash, or $50,000 surety and also banned him from going to the Darling Road residence or contacting five people, including the ex-girlfriend and the man he reportedly assaulted.
The bail amount is reviewable at a later date, said the judge, who also set an 8:30 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew for Brooks, if he is released on bail.
Lucy also granted Brooks’ request for a court-appointed attorney, assigning Marvin Glazier of Bangor, but added the stipulation that he pay $25 a month for the service.
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