One-time murder suspect arrested when loaded gun found in car

PORTLAND – A Portland teen who once faced a murder charge for the death of another teen was arrested when police found a .22-caliber revolver under the front seat of his car.

Seiha Srey, 19, was pulled over Wednesday for failing to yield to two pedestrians in a crosswalk, police said.

Srey was charged with driving with a suspended license, carrying a concealed weapon, possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle and violation of bail conditions stemming from an earlier assault charge.

Srey was 15 and a freshman at Deering High School when 18-year-old Robert Joyal, of Gorham, was stabbed during a brawl in a Denny’s parking lot. Srey was arrested a month later based on statements of two witnesses, one who said he saw the stabbing and another who said Srey told her about it.

Srey spent 19 months in jail before prosecutors dropped the charges, concerned their evidence would not lead to a conviction.

Srey has since filed notice that he intends to sue Portland police for $3 million for violating his civil rights. He claims police withheld evidence that cast doubt on his guilt.

On Wednesday morning, officers found that Srey’s driver’s license had been suspended. One of the officers spotted the pistol as Srey was getting out of the car to be arrested, Police Chief Michael Chitwood said.

Srey was being held on $5,000 cash bail. He is scheduled to appear in Portland District Court on Monday on the charges stemming from Wednesday’s arrest and also for a misdemeanor assault charge from this summer.

Asked to comment on the significance of the two arrests, Chitwood said, “What has happened in the last couple months speaks for itself. I’m not going to draw conclusions. We’ll see how it plays out in the legal system.”

Chitwood said detectives continue to work on the Joyal investigation, and that grand juries have been employed in the case.