WATERVILLE — Robert Carson already was having a bad summer when he was summoned on a charge of criminal mischief Tuesday night after he allegedly punched a window, severing an artery so severely that he had to be taken by helicopter to a Portland hospital.

Carson also had to be hospitalized twice in July when he was assaulted during arguments, according to police, resulting in charges for others and hospital visits for Carson, according to police Deputy Chief Bill Bonney.

Police on Tuesday responded at 7:30 p.m. to a report of a disturbance on Water Street after Carson had gotten into an argument with his girlfriend, according to Bonney. Carson, 21, of Waterville, allegedly became enraged and was kicking random doors on the street.

On Libby Court, he allegedly punched and broke a window of a building under renovation. The glass cut his arm and severed an artery, causing an arterial bleed, Bonney said. When officers found Carson, they were afraid he was going to bleed out.

“At that point, obviously, preservation of life is the most important thing,” Bonney said.

Officer Scott Dumas wrapped a makeshift tourniquet around Carson’s arm and he was taken to Inland Hospital in Waterville. He was then taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland by a LifeFlight helicopter.

Advertisement

He was in fair condition Tuesday, according to the hospital’s marketing department.

On July 4, Carson, was hit over the head with a metal object, possibly a wrench, around 4 p.m. in The Concourse. Christopher Wildhaber, 19, of Winslow, was charged with aggravated assault, a class B felony, shortly after the attack was reported. Carson may have had previous disputes with his alleged assailant, Bonney said, and was intoxicated at the time.

On July 20, Carson’s neighbor on Moor Street, Ashley Boivin, allegedly stabbed him in the stomach during an argument. The neighborhood has had ongoing disputes, Bonney said. Boivin was charged with elevated aggravated assault, a class A felony.

Leiza Ruest, the mother of a friend Carson was staying with on Moor Street at the time, said she didn’t see what happened but could hear an argument outside between Carson and a group of people she said lived a couple of houses away from her. When she went to check on what happened, Carson was grasping his stomach and said he’d been stabbed.

Carson was charged with criminal mischief, a class D misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine up to $2,000.

Carson has a history of convictions, according to Bonney and Morning Sentinel archives, including theft, drug charges and disorderly conduct. One of the disorderly conduct convictions stemmed from a Waterville melee in November 2014, in which a Waterville police sergeant, attempting to get “a large group of drunken, disorderly and uncooperative people” under control on Summer Street, was bitten by a dog. The dog, a pit bull terrier, was seized by the animal control officer the following day. Carson was one of four arrested at the scene. He was convicted later of disorderly conduct and loud noise in a private place and was sentenced to 48 hours in jail.

Advertisement

In December, he was convicted of disorderly conduct, fighting, in connection with an Aug. 12, 2015, incident in Augusta, and sentenced to 72 hours in jail.

Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239

mstamour@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @madelinestamour


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.