Two of the three defendants in a home invasion and assault on Friendship Road in Waldoboro in March have pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the incident.
Damian R. Benner, 41, of Waldoboro, pleaded guilty to charges of class C aggravated criminal trespass, a felony, and class D assault, a misdemeanor, according to court documents. A class B burglary charge was dismissed. He will return to court for a sentence hearing at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 25.
Keith L. Shaw, 45, of Waldoboro, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated criminal trespass and assault July 24. Charges of aggravated assault and burglary were dismissed.
Shaw entered his guilty pleas as part of an agreement known as a deferred disposition, which delays sentencing and requires a defendant to meet certain conditions for a period of time.
If Shaw completes the one-year term of the agreement successfully, the felony charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor and he will receive a sentence of 364 days with all but 30 days suspended, plus a year of probation.
He will return to court for a hearing to determine the final outcome of the case at 1 p.m., July 23, 2018.
A third defendant, Virgil W. Cray Sr., 45, faces two counts each of class C aggravated criminal trespass and class D assault. A Lincoln County grand jury indicted Cray on the charges July 12. Cray will return to court Sept. 18.
Statements from the Waldoboro Police Department on the arrests list Cray as a resident of Waldoboro, but his indictment lists an address in Pemaquid.
According to statements from Waldoboro Police Chief Bill Labombarde, Benner, Cray, and Shaw forced their way into a Friendship Road home and assaulted the resident late Friday, March 17.
The victim told officers the men knocked him to the floor and punched and kicked him repeatedly. He was on the phone with the Lincoln County Communications Center at the time of the assault.
Police arrested Cray the same day. Benner turned himself in and was summonsed and released March 23. Police arrested Shaw on March 24.
