WINSLOW — A man accused of beating his 73-year-old grandmother in her Halifax Street residence was arrested Thursday afternoon and charged with a felony assault among other criminal charges.
Bail for Jeffrey Paquette, 33, was set at $5,000 Friday afternoon at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta. Judge Evert Fowle also ordered Paquette held without bail on the state’s motions to revoke both postconviction and preconviction bail.
Paquette was on probation from a domestic violence terrorizing conviction in 2015 and free on bail from a reckless conduct charge Wednesday when, according to Winslow police, he turned on his grandmother when she refused to call his estranged girlfriend.
He was charged with domestic violence aggravated assault, a class B crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, obstructing the report of a crime, two counts of violating conditions of release and a probation hold. He is being held in the Kennebec County jail in Augusta.
Fowle also prohibited Paquette from contacting his grandmother, her daughter and a third woman. Paquette has a curfew of 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and is banned from possessing dangerous weapons.
The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Carrie James, said Paquette scored a 7 on a domestic assault risk assessment, a score that puts him in the highest risk category for committing another domestic assault.
Fowle also agreed to a request from attorney William Baghdoyan, who represented Paquette on Friday, that bail could be reviewed at the request of Lisa Whittier, who represents Paquette in the other matters.
Winslow police Chief Shawn O’Leary said that what Paquette is accused of “is just brutal.”
O’Leary said he is appalled Paquette was out on probation and bail on domestic violence charges when he allegedly committed the assault.
Police said Paquette became enraged Wednesday evening when his grandmother refused to call his former girlfriend, whom he is prohibited from having direct or indirect contact with. O’Leary said that former girlfriend was the victim in the attack that led to Paquette’s 2015 domestic violence conviction.
Paquette lives with his grandmother in her Halifax Street apartment, according to police. He allegedly shoved his grandmother to the ground and she struck her head. He then allegedly punched her in the face several times, before strangling her until she almost lost consciousness, police said.
Paquette also is said to have taken her cellphone and destroyed her landline phone to prevent her from calling for help. When she tried to yell for help, Paquette allegedly grabbed her nose and covered her mouth to stop her, according to police.
O’Leary said investigators do not believe alcohol or drugs were involved.
The woman’s two daughters discovered her injuries, took her to the hospital and reported the assault to police Thursday after seeing the extent of her injuries, which included two black eyes, O’Leary said.
He said the sisters reported the assault at the Benton Avenue police station at 2:51 p.m. Thursday and took their mother to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta, where she was treated and released.
Police arrested Paquette on Thursday afternoon without incident, although O’Leary said he initially refused to turn himself in.
Staff writer Betty Adams contributed to this story.
Peter McGuire — 861-9239
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