Ex-convict denied bail on federal drug, gun charges

PORTLAND – An ex-convict notorious for robbing a drug dealer in Corinth and cutting off the man’s ear pleaded not guilty Friday to federal drug and gun charges.

Lionel Cormier, 51, of Norwood, Mass., also was denied bail until a detention hearing can be held Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Portland.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has asked to have Cormier held without bail until his case can be resolved.

Cormier is being held at Cumberland County Jail in Portland to better attend to his medical needs, according to prosecutors.

Cormier and Winston Hanson, 38, of Bucksport were indicted on Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Bangor.

The two are charged with drug possession and conspiracy to distribute OxyContin, Percocet and marijuana. Cormier also was indicted this week on an additional drug possession charge, as well as on charges of being a felon in possession of firearms and using a firearm in relation to drug trafficking.

Hanson was released on Thursday on $10,000 unsecured bond after pleading not guilty to the drug charges in federal court in Bangor.

The trial for the two men is tentatively scheduled for November in either Portland or Bangor.

Cormier was released from Maine State Prison in September 2002 after serving 16 years for robbery and aggravated assault.

Law enforcement officials apparently have been keeping an eye on him since June 13, 2003, when he allegedly participated in a home invasion in Brunswick.

Two other men, Michael Gleason, 39, of Bangor and David Finch, 43, of Surry, were arrested early that morning after a barking dog apparently thwarted the break-in.

While Brunswick police said last year that all three men were suspects in the June 2003 break-in, Gleason was the only one indicted, according to the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office. The charges are pending.

If convicted on the new federal charges, Cormier could be sentenced to up to 47 years in prison and be ordered to pay fines exceeding $1 million. His co-defendant, Hanson, faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.