Blue Hill shooting suspect appears in court

ELLSWORTH – A man reportedly shot his wife’s lover three times in the leg and abdomen after an argument late last week in Blue Hill, according to a police affidavit.

Douglas J. Moore, 46, of Blue Hill made his initial appearance Monday afternoon in Hancock County Superior Court in Ellsworth. He was charged with five separate counts, including two counts of Class A elevated aggravated assault related to an incident last Thursday in which he allegedly shot Dean Curtis, 51, of Brooksville.

Curtis was taken to a local hospital and then was transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where he underwent surgery. Police have said his injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Moore, meanwhile, spent the weekend at Hancock County Jail.

At Moore’s court appearance Monday, Superior Court Justice Kevin Cuddy set bail at $50,000 surety or $25,000 cash, the recommendation from Hancock County District Attorney Michael Povich.

Jeffrey Toothaker, Moore’s attorney, said his client likely would be able to post bail.

Curtis apparently had been having an affair with Moore’s wife, according to an affidavit written by Maine State Police Trooper Gerald Coleman in support of Moore’s arrest.

The woman told police her husband knew of the affair. Although “she and Curtis had still been seeing each other, they had sort of separated,” the document read.

Last Thursday, Curtis came to Moore’s home on Kingdom Road in Blue Hill and began talking with Moore, the affidavit stated.

At some point, the two men began fighting. The wife told police that Curtis had the upper hand in the fight when Moore pulled out a small silver pistol, Coleman wrote.

The woman told police that her husband fired several shots at the ground and in the air. The two men separated briefly but Curtis then lunged again at Moore, at which point Curtis was shot, according to the court document. Curtis suffered wounds to his upper thigh and abdomen, as well as a superficial wound on his leg.

The wife drove Curtis to Blue Hill Memorial Hospital while her husband stayed home with their daughter, Coleman wrote.

Moore claimed that he shot Curtis in self-defense and that he believed his life was in danger, according to the affidavit.

In addition to two counts of elevated aggravated assault, which is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, Moore has been charged with aggravated assault, criminal threatening and reckless conduct.

If Moore posts bail, he is not to have any contact with the victim. Moore’s next court appearance is scheduled tentatively for Dec. 21.