FARMINGTON – A local man was arrested on the charge of aggravated assault Wednesday, after he allegedly struck a woman multiple times, dragged her into a bathroom and refused to let her leave.
Jonathan Leavitt, 36 of Farmington, has been charged with aggravated assault, a Class B felony, as well as criminal restraint and violating the conditions of his release, both misdemeanors. The charges stem from an incident that is alleged to have occurred Wednesday evening at the Farmington Motel.
According to an affidavit filed with the Franklin County court system by Farmington Police Officer Jeffrey Brann, police responded to the motel at approximately 10:44 p.m. after receiving a report that a woman had been assaulted by her ex-boyfriend. The hotel’s manager informed Brann that the woman had been visiting a guest, later identified as Leavitt, and that “very loud screaming and banging” had been heard coming from Leavitt’s room. The manager knocked on the door and saw contusions on the woman’s face and that her clothes were wet. Both Leavitt and the woman were asked to leave.
Brann interviewed the woman, who at that point was sitting in the hotel’s main office. She reportedly told him that she had gone to visit Leavitt despite there being conditions of no contact between them. She said that Leavitt had been drunk and had hit her in the face, then had dragged her into the bathroom and refused to let her leave.
“[The woman] stated that Leavitt told her that ‘the only way you’re leaving is in a body bag.'” Brann wrote in the affidavit.
The woman said that Leavitt then struck her in the face multiple times with a closed fist. She said that she had kicked and scratched Leavitt, but had been unable to get away until the manager came to the door. Brann said that he observed the woman’s eyes were swollen and bruised and that there was a cut on the inside of her upper lip from her teeth. He also reported seeing marks on the woman’s neck; she told the officer that Leavitt had also held her down by her face and throat in the bathtub. Brann said that he observed bruising on the woman’s neck and small, circular bruises on her biceps consistent with hand prints. NorthStar EMS was called to the scene.
Farmington officers attempted to make contact with Leavitt, who refused to answer the door. Franklin County Sheriff’s Office personnel were called for assistance and arrived at the scene. Leavitt eventually came to the window and shut the curtain and, after more knocking on the door by the officers, emerged from the room. Brann said that he saw scratches on the side of Leavitt’s neck.
Leavitt was arrested and transported to Franklin County Detention Center. Bail was later set at $1,500 cash or $750 cash and a Maine Pretrial Services contract.
How do you violate bail, threaten to kill someone, and beat them half to death and only get a bail of $750 to $1,500?!?!?
Only in Franklin County apparently!
Well Clinton, that’s just one of the many questions that need to be addressed and absolutely changed within our criminal justice system and lack of reform that we’ve all witnessed for the entirety of our lives. Obviously this was a situation that anyone would be grateful for the police in this matter, and they did their job, better than I would to a female abusing waste of space, so now this guy after proving to be a violent, non law abiding citizen, has the chance yet again to cause serious bodily harm and terrorizing etc. it’s the world we live in, where an old man with a pound of marijuana sits in the same jail a few years back on $50,000 bail. We severely punish non violent criminals, while we let the uneducated or extremely privileged violent men and women walk free to do so again and again and in most times in front of children, hence the “cycle”. This country preys on the ability to brainwash people into living in a react, instead of ACT lifestyle. We hardly put any funding, our citizen dollars $ into Preventative Measures across the board. Education of nutrition, drug use, emotional understanding, nope this country will give a 14 year old football player Percocet, and will hold insulin over your head and make you empty your pockets to live, while also spraying crops with lethal pesticides and pushing it through fast food and public schools across the nation. All just something to think about I guess, since we just deal with the outcomes rather than changing them, but hey times up for that, call your local DA/Mayor/Governor’s office and bring these victim injustices to light!
They get away with this in Franklin County because the police, district attorney, judges and juries do not object to this behavior.
I believe law enforcement does their job, what happens after the arrest is out of their hands.