COLUMBUS, Ohio — The so-called “Cupid of Chaos” who is charged with bigamy in New Hampshire and also faces multiples charges in Maine should be returning to one of those states within about the next two weeks. He waived extradition on Friday morning during a court proceeding in Franklin County, Ohio, and is being held in the Franklin County jail in Columbus, Ohio.
“He did waive the extradition,” Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Hughes said by telephone on Friday. “He agreed the other states do have an interest in him.”
The judge denied Middleton bond. “So he cannot be released or get out,” Hughes said.
On order of the judge, “the states have 15 days to come and pick him up for those other pending charges,” Hughes said.
Maine charges against Michael Middleton, 43, whose last known address was Old Orchard Beach, include a charge of domestic violence in 2014, violation of protection order, driving under the influence, driving without a valid license and violating conditions of release.
He also faces multiple charges in New Hampshire including bigamy and domestic violence.
Last month, Middleton was indicted by a New Hampshire grand jury for bigamy. He’s accused of knowingly marrying a woman in New Hampshire while being married to women in Georgia and Alabama.
Middleton was scheduled to appear for an arraignment at Strafford County Superior Court in Dover, New Hampshire, on Feb. 7. When he didn’t show, the court issued a warrant for his arrest that day, according to the County Clerk’s Office He was arrested the following day in Ohio following a tip.
There is no word on which state’s law enforcement officers will pick him up. York County Sheriff William King said he has not received an order from the District Attorney’s Office to pick up Middleton. A call to the spokesman at the Sheriff’s Office in Strafford County, New Hampshire, was not returned by press time.
Middleton was arrested by the Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office following a phone call providing a location of the suspect, according to Sheriff’s Office spokesman Marc Gofstein.
Middleton was apprehended after “our radio dispatch room received a phone call from someone familiar with the situation,” Gofstein said. The tipster told the Columbus, Ohio, dispatcher that Middleton had warrants and was in the Franklin County area.
After verifying warrants, Gofstein said, “the Sheriff’s Office Communications Center was able to coordinate with the tipster on the whereabouts of the suspect.”
Deputies were dispatched to a location in Columbus, Gofstein said. “The suspect was not there at the time, but was told by the tipster that he would be arriving soon. Upon his arrival Sheriff’s Office deputies took Mr. Middleton into custody without incident.”
After the arrest, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office stated on Facebook, “Third time’s NOT a charm … This ‘Cupid of Chaos’ is now awaiting extradition to Maine in our jail.”
According to a police investigation, Middleton was married to Katherine Lashley of Georgia and Kassandra Shipley of Alabama when he married Alicia Grant of Dover, New Hampshire, in 2013. Investigators believe Middleton has at least one other wife.
Grant and Middleton moved to South Berwick in 2014 and Middleton was arrested for domestic violence there that same year.
Grant, who now lives in Exeter, New Hampshire, told WMTW-TV that Middleton made her feel like he cared about her. He eventually scammed her out of $20,000, according to The Associated Press.
“He makes you feel special. He makes you feel like he actually cares about you, and then he marries you, abuses you, drains your assets and leaves,” Grant told WMTW-TV.
Grant had no idea Middleton had other wives when she married him, according to the AP.
The three wives eventually found out about each other, and Grant has been trying to track down Middleton for years to have their marriage annulled, according to the AP.
“The problem is — is that I can’t go and get married to someone else because it’s still on record that I’m married,” Grant told WMTW-TV.
In New Hampshire, bigamy is a Class B felony, with a penalty of 3 ½ to 7 years in prison. A person convicted of a Class B felony could also receive a fine of up to $4,000 and up to 5 years probation.
— Associate Editor Dina Mendros can be reached at 780-9014 or by email at dmendros@journaltribune.com. Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf contributed to this article.
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