High court reverses S. Portland man’s conviction

PORTLAND — Prosecutors say a South Portland man who was shot after he pointed a gun at police will be retried on charges of reckless conduct with a firearm after Maine’s highest court threw out his conviction Thursday.

The state’s highest court vacated George Jordan Jr.’s conviction for reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon because it said jurors should not have heard testimony about Jordan’s relationship with his estranged wife.

Cumberland County District Attorney Julia Sheridan said the state will retry Jordan. “Given the evidence and the way the trial was conducted, he did have a fair trial,” Sheridan said. “I don’t think the evidence did unduly sway the jury.”

Police were called to Jordan’s home on April 24, 1994, after his wife complained that he had made harassing phone calls to her. Jordan was shot in the arm after barricading himself inside his home and pointing a shotgun at police.

Cumberland County District Attorney Julia Sheridan said she was disappointed with the ruling and said the state will retry Jordan.

Jordan’s attorney, Michael E. Saucier, said his client was pleased with the court’s ruling, and predicted he would be acquitted in a second trial.