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Alleged road rage incident leads to indictment

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Jacob Couture (Franklin County Detention Center photo)

FARMINGTON – A 26-year-old Jay man accused of pointing a loaded handgun at another driver en route from Jay to Farmington was indicted by the Franklin County grand jury Thursday.

Jacob A. Couture, 27 of Jay, was indicted on charges of terrorizing with a dangerous weapon, a Class C felony, as well as two misdemeanors: endangering the welfare of a child and threatening display of a weapon. Both vehicles involved in the alleged incident had young passengers.

On Dec. 10, 2016, the driver of a pickup truck reported to police that another driver she did not know was following her too closely and at times, would speed up and pass her in his pickup truck while displaying a handgun in a threatening manner. She described the encounter as a road rage incident.

The two vehicles, one with two female and two young children as occupants and the second driver later identified by police as Couture with a young child riding as a passenger, traveled from Jay through Wilton and on into Farmington before pulling into the parking lot at Burger King.

While police interviewed the alleged victims, Farmington Detective Marc Bowering and Officer Justin Blais noticed a pickup matching the victims’ description leaving the Walmart parking lot. The officers pursued the vehicle and made a traffic stop on Wilton Road nearly at the intersection of Livermore Falls Road at Franklin Memorial Hospital.

Bowering said a loaded handgun was recovered from Couture’s truck during the traffic stop.

A Class C felony carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

An indictment means that after considering the evidence a district attorney has presented, a grand jury believes there is probable cause, or a “reasonable belief” that the crime occurred. A grand jury of up to 23 people need not be unanimous and does not need to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt.

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