AUGUSTA — An Augusta man who used a steak knife to slice another man’s jugular vein in an apparent fit of jealousy last September pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of elevated aggravated assault in connection with that incident.

At a hearing Thursday in the Kennebec Superior Court case, Jason Scott Boucher, 34, was sentenced to serve an initial four years behind bars, with the remainder of the 10-year sentence suspended, and four years of probation. In exchange for his guilty plea to the high-level assault charge, a second charge of attempted murder was dismissed.

Police accounts of the Sept. 20, 2014, incident filed in court say Boucher had followed his former girlfriend to Winthrop that night and confronted her about her relationship with Jonathan L. Beaulieu, now 43, of Sidney, who was with her.

Later, the woman said Boucher was following too closely behind her vehicle in Augusta, and when she stopped her car to question him, he ran up to the passenger side of her vehicle with a knife.

“(The woman) stated she observed Boucher start to attack Beaulieu, who never even got out of the vehicle, with a knife,” says the affidavit by Augusta Detective Brian Wastella.

The woman then got back into her car, called police and drove to the hospital because Beaulieu was bleeding so badly.

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At MaineGeneral Medical Center, Beaulieu underwent emergency surgery for a laceration to his jugular vein, his chest and his left forearm.

Police seeking Boucher first stopped at his father’s Augusta home and then were told two days later he had returned to his own apartment. After a standoff of about an hour, Boucher surrendered to police.

District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said Beaulieu has disappeared.

“It’s more difficult to prove a case without the victim present, so in order to get a conviction on a class A felony, the state was willing to dismiss the attempted charge,” Maloney said, adding that there is a warrant out for Beaulieu’s arrest for an unrelated incident.

Attorney Pam Ames represented Boucher.

“He accepted responsibility for his actions and was very remorseful that he injured Mr. Beaulieu,” Ames said. “He believed Mr. Beaulieu was going to harm the female driver.”

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Ames said Beaulieu had told the woman driving that night that he would not cooperate, and it was Ames’ understanding he had recovered completely.

Ames also said the woman driver and Boucher have a child together.

Several other people were sentenced recently in Kennebec Superior Court cases heard at the Capital Judicial Center:

• Dennis Franklin Burkett, 71, of Hallowell, two counts each of unlawful sexual contact and unlawful sexual touching involving two children under age 12 Jan. 14 and Feb. 4 in Hallowell; eight-year prison sentence, all but four years suspended, 12 years of probation and mandatory registration as a lifetime offender under the state’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Maloney said the case came in as a referral from a state agency, and the victims were interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center of Kennebec and Somerset Counties.

She also said Burkett confessed immediately to a pastor and then to law enforcement.

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• Stephon Davis, 19, of Manhattan, theft by receiving stolen property, trafficking in scheduled drugs, domestic violence assault, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, possessing a firearm when prohibited and violating condition of release, all Dec. 14, 2014, in Augusta; five-year prison sentence, all but two years suspended, three years of probation.

• Christopher J. Mathieu, 31, of Waterville, disorderly conduct, fighting Jan. 11, 2015, in Waterville; 364-day jail sentence, all but 24 hours suspended, one-year administrative release.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams


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