A Lincoln County grand jury has indicted a 20-year-old Friendship man on charges in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in Waldoboro in early December 2016.
Andrew P. Baldwin Jr. faces one charge each of class A gross sexual assault, class D sexual abuse of a minor, and class E violation of condition of release, according to his May 10 indictment.
A class A charge is a felony with a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Class D and E charges are misdemeanors with maximum penalties of 364 days and six months, respectively.
The girl told police that she told Baldwin to stop and physically resisted, but was not able to prevent the assault, according to an affidavit by Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sgt. Ronald Rollins.
The sheriff’s office received a referral about the incident from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services on Jan. 16. The Waldoboro Police Department assisted in the investigation.
In an interview with Rollins on Jan. 24, Baldwin admitted to sexual contact with the girl, but denied other elements of her account, according to the affidavit. Rollins arrested Baldwin on Feb. 8.
As of Friday, May 19, Baldwin remains in custody at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset with bail set at $20,000 cash on the Lincoln County charges. He is being held without bail in a Knox County case involving allegations of child abuse.
Baldwin faces two counts of class C assault on a child less than 6 years old and one count of class D endangering the welfare of a child in the Knox County case, according to Assistant District Attorney Katie Dakers.
Dakers works in the Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office, but is representing the state as it works toward a resolution of both cases.
The sides have begun plea negotiations, Dakers said, but if the sides cannot reach an agreement, the Knox County case would return there for trial.
Rockland-based attorney William F. Pagnano is representing Baldwin.
Pagnano has filed a motion to suppress, which asks the court to toss out Baldwin’s admissions to police as “not voluntary” and says the interview violated his Miranda rights.
Pagnano has also filed a motion to review bail, asking for $5,000 cash bail. Baldwin has been in custody for about three months, according to the motion.
Pagnano did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
A dispositional conference on the matter is scheduled to take place at the Lincoln County Courthouse at 8:30 a.m., Monday, May 22.
