FARMINGTON — A former Franklin County corrections officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to two domestic violence charges brought last year and agreed to a one-year delay in sentencing.
Wyatt Haynes, 24, of Avon, formerly of Kingfield, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence stalking and domestic violence assault in Farmington District Court. A second domestic violence assault charge was dismissed in the agreement.
Maine State Police Trooper Dezarae Fillmyer arrested Haynes on April 22, 2022, on two counts of domestic violence assault and one count of domestic violence stalking. He was taken to the Somerset County Jail in Madison and released on $500 bail.
He was accused of assaulting a woman on or about Jan. 15, 2022, and again on or about March 14, 2022. The stalking occurred between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2022, according to the state’s complaint.
Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said last year that Haynes came to his supervisors and told them about the incidents. The case was turned over to Maine State Police. Haynes was suspended with pay but eventually was let go from the jail.
Haynes began working at the Franklin County jail in February 2021 in Farmington and worked for the Somerset County Jail prior to the that.
On March 17, 2022, Trooper Fillmyer was asked by her supervisor to assist Franklin County Sheriff’s Office with a missing person’s case. Haynes reported that the woman was missing and she would be driving a Ford Sport Trac near the Best Western hotel in Waterville.
State police Detective Reid Bond interviewed Haynes, who denied abusing the woman. He told police she gave him a black eye after he tried to see her phone. He also asked for his truck keys several times, which she said she didn’t have.
The woman denied giving Haynes a black eye. She provided police with videos and photographs of injuries that she allegedly received March 14 and a text thread, according to the affidavit. At no point in any of the videos can anyone see Haynes physically hitting the woman or her putting her hands on him. The woman described the nearly seven-year relationship as abusive.
York County Assistant District Attorney Andrew Berggren prosecuted the case for the state and attorney Walter McKee defended Haynes.
Justice Julia Lipez said Tuesday that if Haynes successfully completes the requirements in the agreement, he would be able to withdraw his plea and the charges would be dismissed. If he is not successful, he will be convicted, she said.
A conviction for each charge is punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.
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