Man found guilty in robbery, stabbing

PORTLAND – A local man faces up to 40 years in prison after being found guilty of robbing and stabbing a stranger in his living room.

A Cumberland County Superior Court jury deliberated for eight hours over three days before returning its verdict last week against Nicholas Bennett, 22.

Bennett was charged with stealing John Ohrt’s truck, then tracking him down to his Portland home and stabbing him repeatedly with a pocketknife on Jan. 29, 2004. Bennett admitted to stealing the truck, but said Ohrt attacked him when he tried to return it.

Bennett, who was found guilty of elevated aggravated assault and robbery but was acquitted of burglary, is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Prosecutors said Bennett never met Ohrt but targeted him so he could steal Ohrt’s identification and cash checks he found in the stolen truck.

“It’s hard to imagine a more violent way to commit an elevated aggravated assault and robbery,” said Assistant District Attorney Julia Sheridan. “The fact that he tracked him down and came in with such violence” calls for a lengthy sentence, she said.

Sheridan said she would probably seek a sentence of more than 20 years.

Ohrt, 26, noticed his truck was stolen when he was leaving his job as a dive tender at 3:30 p.m. About two hours later, a stranger knocked on his window.

Ohrt testified that the man, later identified as Bennett, came into his house and demanded to know if he was John Ohrt. Ohrt said that Bennett hit him with a beer bottle then stabbed him eight or more times in the back before demanding his wallet and running away.

Ohrt was treated for injuries that included a punctured lung and potentially fatal loss of blood. Police later arrested Bennett in Yarmouth. He had Ohrt’s bloodstained wallet and other possessions.

Bennett admitted to stealing Ohrt’s truck, but said he had second thoughts when he found Ohrt’s wallet in the vehicle. He said he was trying to return Ohrt’s wallet and keys when Ohrt attacked him. Bennett said he stabbed Ohrt in self-defense.

The last witness in the trial was a Portland police officer who testified that Ohrt had his wallet when he reported his missing truck, which would have made Bennett’s story impossible.

Bennett’s lawyer, Thomas Connolly, said his client will probably appeal the conviction. Connolly said he objected throughout the trial that Bennett was wearing immobilizing leg braces for security reasons. Connolly said that the restraints sent the unfair message to the jury that his client was dangerous.

“This was a self-defense case, a matter of close credibility, and my guy was restrained in court,” Connolly said. “What has that done to the presumption of innocence?”