Brewer man charged in reported bat assault

Brewer police arrested a man after he allegedly hit his girlfriend in the head with a baseball bat Thursday evening.

Officer Jeff Gotreau said that at about 6:30 p.m., he and Cpl. David Lord went to a Fling Street house for a report of domestic assault.

Gotreau said the front door of the house was locked, but the complainant threw down a key from a window. Cpl. Lord spoke with the woman, who said her boyfriend, Gary Champagne, 44, of Brewer, had pushed her.

She said she picked up a baseball bat, which Champagne took from her and used to hit her in the head.

The woman said Champagne, holding the bat, threatened to kill her if she called the police. She said he also hid the telephone from her. She had to call from a neighbor’s home.

Gotreau said he and Lord found Champagne sleeping, and had difficulty waking him up. He was intoxicated, Gotreau said, and not very cooperative.

Lord said he arrested Champagne and charged him with aggravated assault, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, and obstructing the report of a crime.

Gotreau said the woman refused to be taken to the hospital.

Old Town police arrested a man Thursday after he allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend with a hammer.

Officer Seth Bear reported that at about 1 p.m. he and Officer Roy Peary went to a Shirley Street apartment, where a man reportedly had threatened his girlfriend.

Bear said that when they arrived, they met Matthew Clermont, 37, of Old Town coming downstairs. Peary spoke with Clermont while Bear checked out the upstairs apartment.

Bear said he found a hammer lying on the kitchen table, and three smashed TV sets.

Bear then spoke with Clermont’s girlfriend, who was downstairs. She was visibly upset, he said, and told him Clermont had been drinking with a friend for most of the day. She said Clermont started saying he would kill her, and asked her about a hammer, with which he wanted to “stove in” her head.

The woman said Clermont’s friend found the hammer in the master bedroom. She said Clermont started smashing the TV sets, then came into the kitchen, held up the hammer, and said he was going to “stove” her head in. She fled downstairs and called 911.

Officer Peary reported that Clermont did not admit threatening his girlfriend, saying all he had done was to smash his own TV sets.

Bear charged Clermont with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, terrorizing and violating conditional release.

Bangor police arrested a man Wednesday evening after he called to complain that his apartment was trashed.

Officer Steve Jordan reported that he went to a First Street apartment, where he spoke with Daniel Johnson, 42, of Bangor. Johnson told Jordan he found his apartment trashed when he came home. He said his girlfriend had done it.

Jordan said the girlfriend denied trashing the apartment, and said that Johnson was on probation. Jordan said Johnson admitted he had been drinking. Jordan spoke with Johnson’s probation officer, who requested Johnson be taken to the station for a breathalyzer test.

Once Johnson was in the car, Jordan spoke with the girlfriend again. She said they had been arguing at a bar that afternoon, when Johnson hit her in the face.

Johnson’s girlfriend told Jordan that she came home at about 6 p.m. to find the apartment trashed. She said Johnson came home later, and, after a disagreement, pushed her, yelled at her and called her names. She said Johnson took her cell phone from her when she threatened to call the police.

Jordan charged Johnson with assault, criminal mischief and obstruction of the report of a crime.

– Compiled by NEWS reporter Isaac Kimball