A man from the Kennebec County town of China beat a woman over the head with a laptop, threatened to shoot her and attempted to strangle her in an incident that lasted through Wednesday evening into Thursday, according to police.
Kevin L. Poulin, 55, is charged with aggravated assault, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, domestic violence terrorizing and three counts of domestic violence assault, all dated in the period from Jan. 1 to July 20, in China.
Kennebec County sheriff’s deputies and Maine State Police responded to a report of an assault Wednesday at a home on Hanson Road that turned into an overnight standoff, with police trying for hours to contact someone inside.
While a juvenile was able to leave the house almost immediately, police said the injured woman did not come out until 7:15 a.m. Thursday.
Poulin tried to flee about 9:40 a.m. and was stopped by a trooper with police dog, according to a news release by Lt. Chris Read, of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office.
Both the woman and Poulin were taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center. Poulin was later taken to the Kennebec County jail. He appeared in court Friday afternoon via video link with the Capital Judicial Center, where a udge set his bail at $50,000 cash.
According to an affidavit by Deputy Brittany Johnson, of the sheiff’s office, the person who called for help said the woman had been beaten over the head with a laptop, she was being choked and he could hear her grasping for air.
The woman later told Johnson that she thought Poulin had mental health problems.
The woman said Poulin came home agitated about 5 p.m. Wednesday and began drinking. After striking her with a laptop, he forced her to sit in a recliner and pointed an semiautomatic rifle at her head “and told her he was going to put a bullet in her head,” Johnson wrote.
Johnson said the woman reported that Poulin then beat her and later tried and failed to handcuff her to a bed.
The woman and the juvenile told Johnson that Poulin previously has shut off the electricity at the home and forced them to sit in a room in the dark. The woman also said Poulin tampered with her vehicle to prevent her from leaving.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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