AUGUSTA — A nurse fired from Riverview Psychiatric Center for authorizing the use of pepper spray on a naked patient and facing trial on charges of throwing his infant son down the stairs of their Wayne home has won the right to be freed on bail.

The case of William Goodhue Lord, 40, was scheduled for jury trial several times over the past few months; however, the trial has been rescheduled for various reasons, including witness availability.

On Thursday during a hearing at the Capital Judicial Center, Justice Robert Mullen set jury selection in the case for Jan. 7, 2016, with the trial itself starting the following Monday.

He also said he wanted to revisit the issue of bail, “in fairness to Mr. Lord and in fairness to the whole process,” noting that Lord has been held without bail since it was revoked July 20 following a hearing after Lord was charged with violating bail conditions.

The state, through Assistant District Attorney Kristin Murray-James, asked that the judge continue to hold Lord without bail.

“These are incredibly serious charges,” she said.

She noted that bail was revoked after Lord left the state and failed to provide notification of a change of address, and after he was found in possession of alcohol.

Murray-James also said the mother of the baby, who was 3 months old when the incident occurred, was concerned that Lord would come after her if he was free on bail. She sat in the back of the courtroom with a victim advocate during Thursday’s hearing.

The judge also said a proposal for electronic monitoring and house arrest had been made, but that the state preferred an out-of-state location for Lord if he was to be allowed bail.

Lord’s attorney, Robert Ruffner, said Lord’s mother already had sent him a $5,000 check for bail, that Lord would be living with his parents in Connecticut, and that he would adhere to any other conditions set, including a “reasonable curfew.” Ruffner said that because his office is in Portland, the two could meet there for trial preparation, so there would be no reason for Lord to be north of there until trial.

Ruffer said prior bail conditions did not prohibit Lord from leaving the state, and that he had returned to Maine of his own accord. Ruffner also said Lord had no prior criminal record.

Mullen set bail at just under $5,000 cash — to allow for a $60 bail commissioner fee — with conditions requiring Lord to call to check in three days a week with his defense attorney and adhere to a 7 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew.

“If for some reason you weren’t in touch with counsel, I would want to know about it,” Mullen said. Lord agreed to that condition.

Lord is prohibited from possessing alcohol and dangerous weapons and from contact with the victims named in the charges and several of their family members.

Ruffner told the judge that Lord could be freed from jail Thursday night on bail and his brother would drive him immediately to Connecticut.

Lord initially was arrested in October 2014 on charges of aggravated assault, domestic violence assault on a child less than 6 years old, domestic violence terrorizing and marijuana cultivation. The charges say he caused bodily injury to his 3-month-old son and threatened the child’s mother. They also say he cultivated 100 or more marijuana plants, also in Wayne. All those charges say the offenses occurred Oct. 19, 2014. His girlfriend told police he had been drinking heavily at the time.

He was freed on $5,000 bail on Nov. 29, 2014, but arrested again on April 12, 2015, after police conducted a bail check on him and reported finding that he had just returned from staying for a month in Connecticut with relatives and had in his vehicle a 12-pack of Samuel Adams beer, including one open beer. Conditions of probation required Lord to notify the court of a change of address and prohibited him from possessing alcohol.

While the criminal charges have been pending, Lord’s license as a registered nurse has been placed on inactive status, under a consent agreement with the state Board of Nursing.

In the Riverview incident, Lord was the nurse on duty in the Lower Saco Unit in 2013 when patient Arlene Edson was pepper-sprayed. A complaint about the incident, which two nurses investigated on the state’s behalf, “was substantiated for abuse and for inappropriate use of restraints.”

Betty Adams — 621-5631

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Twitter: @betadams