FARMINGTON — The mother a 25-year-old New Vineyard man accused of holding a woman hostage at gunpoint defended her son’s innocence after he appeared in court Friday morning.

Her son, Shane Webber, and another man, Dahlon Campbell, 22, of Jay, each face multiple charges after police accused them of taking a woman hostage when a drug deal failed last month in Farmington.

Both men appeared in Franklin County Superior Court for hearings Friday to address bail conditions, with the men remaining in jail until further actions are taken related to the case.

Maria Webber left the courtroom in tears and defended her son’s innocence in a phone interview later in the day. She said her son, a two-time state wrestling champion for Mt. Blue High School, has been wrongly accused because police were misled about his role in the alleged kidnapping. The 48-year-old mother believes the woman who was kidnapped lied to police about her son’s involvement in the incident.

“I’m going without my kid based on a woman’s lie,” the mother said.

Maria Webber said her son got caught up in the incident because he had been running with a bad crowd in recent years, ultimately pulling him into a situation that he had nothing to do with.

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“He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she said.

According to the arrest affidavit, Shane Webber and Campbell were armed with shotguns and took the woman hostage inside a New Vineyard Road residence after her male friend sold them $2,000 worth of fake drugs.

“(They) said they would release her only if the guy came back and gave them the $2,000,” according to the affidavit by Detective Marc Bowering.

They held the woman at gunpoint for several hours before driving her to Hurst Lane and setting her free. She was unhurt and eventually flagged down a passerby and reported the kidnapping to police, Bowering said. He would not identify the woman or give her age.

Franklin County Assistant District Attorney James Andrews is handling the prosecution of both men.

During the hearings Friday morning, Andrews said Shane Webber had been out of jail on bail on an unrelated charge before the kidnapping. He was awaiting a court appearance on a charge of unlawful possession of prescription pain killers, and has a prior conviction on a charge of furnishing scheduled drugs, Andrews said.

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Attorney William Maselli, representing Webber in court Friday, said that there are very serious credibility issues related to the woman making the claim she was kidnapped.

The drug deal also did not involve Shane Webber initially, Maselli said.

“He came to support some friends and he shouldn’t have,” Maselli said of his client’s role in the incident.

Maselli, of Portland, would not comment on details of the case. He is representing Webber solely on how the previous unrelated charges are affected by the most recent charges, Maselli said as he left the courtroom.

Andrews said Campbell was more involved than Webber in the drug deal and holding the woman hostage during the incident on Nov. 30.

“This was Mr. Campbell’s drug deal at the start,” Andrews said.

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Campbell has no prior criminal record, other than furnishing a place for minors to consume alcohol, said Margot Joly, his attorney.

Maria Webber said she didn’t know about her son’s relationship with the people involved in the kidnapping.

She described her son as a good person who had been working hard to sort out his life. He had been working as a woodcutter and living in a trailer on property where his mother and father, Scott, live in New Vineyard, she said.

Maria and Scott Webber raised four sons, including Shane, and all were wrestling stars at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. He won state titles in 2004 and 2005.

“He and all of his brothers have been state wrestling champs, and I have five state wrestling titles on my mantle,” she said.

Maria Webber, who is battling lung cancer, said she plans to do whatever she can to prove her son’s innocence, a battle that has already left her emotionally drained and physically weak.

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The couple had been paying Maselli to represent their son on the other charges, but they likely will no longer be able to afford the attorney, the mother said.

“I’m just crying all the time,” she said.

A Franklin County grand jury will decide in January whether to bring an indictment against Shane Webber and Campbell. An indictment does not imply guilt and is needed to proceed with a trial.

Police have arrested Webber, Campbell and another woman on charges of kidnapping and criminal threatening with a firearm in connection with the incident.

The woman — Sandi McAlpine, 41, of Jay and Campbell’s mother — has been released after posting $1,000 cash bail. Her next court date is set for Feb. 24.

Justice Michaela Murphy ruled that Webber will be held in jail without bail until the grand jury convenes on Jan. 13. Murphy gave his prior criminal record, bail violation and other factors as reasons for her decision.

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Murphy ruled Campbell’s will bail remain at $10,000 cash unless an agreement can be reached for a pretrial release contract, which consists of the prosecutor agreeing to terms where the Maine Pretrial Services program takes responsibility for supervising someone until a trial.

If a pretrial supervision is approved by Andrews, the bail amount could be lowered to $5,000 cash along with other conditions, Murphy said.

David Robinson — 861-9287

drobinson@centralmaine.com


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