ALFRED – York County District Attorney Kathryn Slattery said New Hampshire is likely to extradite an Old Orchard Beach man who was arrested in Ohio on a warrant issued in New Hampshire but also faces charges in Maine.
Michael Middleton
Michael Middleton, whose last known address was in Old Orchard Beach, was being held at the Franklin County Jail in Columbus, Ohio, where he was arrested this month. During a court hearing Friday, he agreed to be returned to Maine or New Hampshire.
“I expect him to go to New Hampshire first,” Slattery said in an email.
Middleton, who has been dubbed the “Cupid of Chaos,” is charged with bigamy and domestic violence in New Hampshire.
In York County, Middleton, 43, faces charges of domestic violence assault, violation of conditions of release and violation of a protective order, Slattery said. Middleton also is wanted on a Feb. 27, 2015, warrant out of Presque Isle charging he failed to pay a fine for operating under the influence and operating without a license, the district attorney said.
On Friday, Ohio authorities said Maine or New Hampshire has 15 days to pick him up.
A New Hampshire grand jury indicted Middleton on a bigamy charge. He is 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 appear, the court issued a warrant for his arrest that day, the County Clerk’s Office said.
Middleton was arrested by the Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office following a phone call providing a tip about his whereabouts.
Police investigators say 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; Middleton was arrested on a domestic violence charge there that same year. The Associated Press reported that Middleton eventually scammed her out of $20,000.
In New Hampshire, bigamy is a Class B felony, with a penalty of 3½ to 7 years in prison upon conviction, plus a fine if up to $4,000 and up to five years probation.
Journal Tribune Staff Writers Dina Mendros and Liz Gotthelf contributed to this report.
Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or at:
twells@journaltribune.com.
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