Waterville man sentenced on charges involving gun, homemade knife

AUGUSTA — A Waterville man who has been convicted of previous crimes pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple charges, including an incident in which he hid a homemade knife while at the Kennebec County Correctional Facility in Augusta, and is expected to serve at least six months in jail.

Emmanual Hurtado, 30, of Waterville pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, trafficking in prison contraband, domestic violence assault, violating condition of release and driving to endanger, according to court documents.

Emmanual Hurtado

Some of the charges stem from when Waterville police spotted Hurtado stuffing a gun into his pants as officers were responding to a report of a domestic violence assault.

In a later incident, Hurtado was caught with a homemade knife, known as a shank, taped to his thigh at the Kennebec County jail in Augusta.

Hurtado was sentenced to three years imprisonment, with all but six months suspended, and two years probation.

He is expected to serve six months of the sentence, if he complies with the terms of his probation, which include having no contact with the victim; not possessing alcohol, drugs or firearms; being evaluated for mental health; and attending substance abuse counseling.

Kristin Murray-James, an assistant district attorney, said in June that Waterville police responded to a report of domestic violence assault and saw Hurtado stuffing a gun into his pants while he was in back of an apartment building.

Because of a previous conviction, Hurtado is not allowed to possess a gun. Murray-James said Hurtado was convicted of robbery in 2017, also in Waterville.

Hurtado’s sentence in the 2017 robbery case was increased after he was also charged with aggravated forgery after he falsified a court document listing his sentence as three years, to say two years, in the presence of sheriff’s deputies. The judge then sentenced him to a total of five years for the two crimes.

Hurtado was charged with trafficking in prison contraband, Murray-James said, after Kennebec County Correctional Facility officers investigating a report July 19 he had contraband in his cell found a shank taped to his inner thigh.

The domestic violence assault charge, which was reduced in severity as part of a plea agreement, dates to a May 2021 incident in Waterville during which Hurtado assaulted a family or household member, according to court documents.

The driving to endanger charge, brought as part of the plea agreement in place of an operating under the influence charge that was dismissed, dates to a July 2021 arrest in Waterville.