AUGUSTA — The state claims Nathan R. Avery, of Augusta and formerly of Norridgewock, called the mother of his child 295 times in violation of a bail order that prohibited contact with her.

Those calls were all made from June 5 to Aug. 16 while Avery, 34, was being held at the Kennebec County jail.

On Thursday at a hearing at the Capital Judicial Center, Avery pleaded guilty to violating conditions of bail for those communications and was ordered to serve 18 months in prison.

The prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Frayla Tarpinian, said that while the phone number was listed in a different name, it belonged to the person that Avery was prohibited from contacting.

She said a domestic violence investigator with the district attorney’s office called that number, and the woman then called back and asked why he had been calling her.

The woman then called Avery at the jail to say what had happened, according to an affidavit by Sarosh Sher, the investigator who listened to the recorded call.

Avery’s guilty plea came shortly after the charge for which Avery had been free on bail — domestic violence assault — was dismissed.

Avery’s bail prohibited contact with the woman, who was identified as the victim in that case.

Avery also was ordered to serve 24 months in prison for violating his probation on prior convictions for burglary and theft in Somerset County.

All the sentences were ordered to be served concurrently.

He was represented by attorney Lisa Whittier in the bail violation case and attorney Philip Mohlar in the Somerset county cases.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

 

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