Different versions of story stall jury

PORTLAND – A jury deliberated Friday afternoon without reaching a verdict in the trial of a contractor accused of kidnapping a customer at gunpoint over a disputed bill.

It was up to jurors to sort through two widely different assessments of what happened on Oct. 1, 2001, when Rodger Smith walked into a bank and told a teller that he had been kidnapped at gunpoint.

Joe Loughery, who does business as “Joe the Carpenter,” called the whole thing a “big mix-up.” He testified that the two were getting to know each other and were enjoying a pleasant morning that included a breakfast at McDonald’s in Falmouth.

It was moments after the breakfast that Smith walked into the Falmouth bank. Bank officials called police, who said Loughery had a 9 mm handgun and two pairs of handcuffs in his briefcase when they arrested him.

Loughery is charged with kidnapping, terrorizing with a dangerous weapon and criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison.

Smith said that after a yearlong dispute with Loughery, in which he refused to pay for what he considered poor-quality work, Loughery showed up at his door in Scarborough and pulled a gun from under his jacket.

Smith said Loughery told him that he would shoot Smith in the knee and kill his wife, Mary, if he did not pay $7,800.

Loughery denied any wrongdoing and characterized the episode as a friendly one. He said the men were getting to know each other while driving around and ultimately stopping at McDonald’s.

“We talked about business and personal [things],” Loughery testified. “We talked about his hobbies, my hobbies, his family, my family. We were just two buddies getting to know each other better.”

Loughery said he had no intention of restraining or threatening Smith or his wife.

He said the gun in the briefcase was for security after being carjacked in Florida. He said he used the handcuffs for everything from fastening his leather vest to holding the muffler of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle in place.