Ex-murder suspect charged with burglary and assault

PORTLAND – Seiha Srey, the Portland teen-ager who spent 19 months in jail on a murder charge that was later dropped, faces a new charge of burglary and assault, authorities said.

Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson filed the complaint against Srey, 19, on Wednesday in connection with an incident in Portland early on the morning of Nov. 1.

Anderson said Srey and some friends became angry when they were turned away from a Halloween party.

She said they returned hours later, threatened the host, assaulted another person and broke a door, lights and windows.

“I am very disturbed by this case,” said Anderson, who previously expressed concern that Srey was breaking the law while free on bail on prior charges. She said she will move to deny him bail on the latest charges and to revoke his bail on an earlier assault charge.

Srey had been accused of fatally stabbing Robert Joyal, 18, of Gorham, during a 1998 brawl in a restaurant parking lot, but the murder charge was later dropped. Srey claimed that police withheld evidence that cast doubt on his guilt and has filed notice that he intends to sue Portland police for $3 million for violating his civil rights.