WATERVILLE — Three people were charged with assault in separate Wednesday night and Thursday morning incidents.

Gary Howard, 38, of Leighton Street, is accused of attacking his girlfriend in their apartment Wednesday night and was charged with aggravated assault, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and criminal mischief.

Stephanie Lynn Sprague, 27, and David Tenney, 26, of Drummond Avenue, are accused of taking part in an attack on Sprague’s former friend and her parents early Thursday morning. Sprague was charged with aggravated assault, and Tenney was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault and held for violating the terms of his probation.

Police were called to an apartment building on Leighton Street at approximately 9:05 p.m. Wednesday to investigate a report of a woman who had been attacked by her boyfriend, according to Waterville Deputy Chief Charles Rumsey.

When officers arrived, they found a group of people outside near the entrance of the building, including a woman who was bleeding from a laceration on the right side of her head. The woman was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center Thayer Center for Health for treatment.

According to the woman, Howard was throwing items at her in the apartment and hit her in the head when she was fleeing the apartment. When officers went to talk to Howard, they found the interior of the apartment “in shambles” with broken pottery, picture frames and other destruction consistent with a physical confrontation, Rumsey said. Howard told police he had thrown the items at the woman, he added.

Through further investigation, officers learned that Howard had allegedly assaulted the woman, striking her and choking her throat, aggravating the assault charge, Rumsey said. Investigators also learned that Howard had allegedly threatened the woman, saying that he was going to slice her throat while holding a knife, he said.

Aggravated assault is a Class B felony and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon is a Class C crime with a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Hours later, police responded to another reported assault in the city.

According to Rumsey, a woman called from Tim Hortons restaurant on Main Street to report that she had been hit by Stephanie Sprague during a confrontation at Sprague’s apartment.

Sprague and the woman had allegedly argued over money earlier on Thursday, Rumsey said. Their relationship was not domestic, but the two had been friends, he said.

“I think the friendship ended and they were arguing about money,” he said.

The woman, accompanied by her parents, went to Sprague’s apartment on Drummond Avenue to reclaim some of her property and her dog, according to Rumsey. While there, they reignited the afternoon argument and Sprague allegedly assaulted the woman, who was thrown to the floor, then choked by Sprague.

David Tenney, who was at the Drummond Avenue apartment, was also charged with assault because he allegedly grabbed and pushed the woman’s mother and father when they tried to break up the altercation, Rumsey said.

The woman was eventually able to break loose and go to Tim Hortons, where she called police.

Sprague was arrested on an aggravated assault charge and bailed out with $1,000 unsecured. Tenney was held for violating his probation, Rumsey said.

Peter McGuire — 861-9239

pmcguire@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @PeteL_McGuire

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