County man pleads innocent in tot’s death

CARIBOU – Scott Saucier of Fort Kent pleaded not guilty to manslaughter Friday in the death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son last September.

Upon request of Aroostook County District Attorney Neale Adams, Justice E. Allen Hunter, sitting in Superior Court at Caribou, ordered that Saucier have no contact with Katherine Burkes, the mother of the dead child and Saucier’s live-in girlfriend.

Saucier, 26, has been free on $50,000 surety bail since his arrest for manslaughter on Sept. 22. The bail has a long list of conditions. Saucier was indicted by the Aroostook County grand jury last month.

Saucier is charged in connection with the death of Stephen Vance Ketzel, who died at the Northern Maine Medical Center at Fort Kent on Sept. 8.

The toddler died after he was brought to the medical facility by his mother and Saucier.

An autopsy determined that Ketzel died from deep internal injury to the abdomen. His liver and the root of the bowel were torn and his abdomen was distended with fluid.

Police had said that Burkes had left her son alone with Saucier for about 20 minutes on Sept. 5. When she checked on her son she found him quiet, looking into space. He had a large bump on the back of his head. In ensuing days, the boy became weaker and lethargic, had stopped eating and had started vomiting.

Saucier allegedly urged Burkes not to take her son to a regular doctor’s appointment on Sept. 7 because he didn’t want to explain the injuries.

Saucier told police he left the boy alone for two minutes while he was having a temper tantrum, and that he noticed the large bump when he returned to the room.

In court Friday, Saucier waived reading of the charges against him, and said, “Not guilty, your honor,” when asked for a plea to the charge of manslaughter.

Sitting in place of Assistant Attorney General Andrew Benson, Adams asked Hunter to add another restriction to Saucier’s bail conditions.

Adams told Hunter that Saucier had interfered with detectives when they attempted to interview Burkes on Oct. 10

After the death of her child, Burkes had accompanied the child’s body to Florida for burial. She returned and detectives sought her out.

According to Adams, Saucier yelled and swore at both the detectives and Burkes when detectives went to his parents’ house on Route 161 at Fort Kent to interview her.

“Not allowing her to talk to police affects the integrity of the judicial process,” Adams said.

Saucier’s attorney, Ben Smith of Augusta, disagreed.

He told Hunter that police spoke with Burkes voluntarily on two occasions in September. He said Saucier also spoke with police.

“After those interviews they no longer wanted to speak with police,” Smith said in court. “Police did not want to listen to the truth, they had their own story they wanted Burkes [to admit to].”

He said police were pressuring Burkes with their own stories.

“They [police] want an opportunity to drive a wedge between my client and his loved one,” Smith said. “If the state is concerned with her veracity, they will have the opportunity to cross-examine her.”

Smith told the court it would be hard to separate the two since they are living with Saucier’s parents in the same house. He also said Burkes was pregnant with their child.

Justice Hunter said Burkes is an important witness and that Saucier had attempted to “influence her.”

“There is sufficient basis to add this condition to the bail,” Hunter said.

“There will be no contact with Burkes, starting immediately.”

Hunter said Saucier had a choice to remove himself from contact with Burkes or turn himself over to police.

Hunter set 60 days for preliminary work in the case before another court appearance. He said that could be changed.