A grand jury has indicted a Damariscotta man for allegedly assaulting a Bristol man in the parking lot of the Wiscasset town office July 10.
Michael L. Hanna, 39, of Damariscotta, faces a Class B count of aggravated assault, a felony.
Hanna “did intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly cause bodily injury to James T. Fitzpatrick under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life,” according to the Dec. 10 indictment.
Witnesses told a Wiscasset police officer that Hanna was involved in “a physical fight with the operator of another vehicle” in the parking lot the morning of July 10, according to a Wiscasset Police Department press release of the same date.
“Hanna was subsequently dragged by the suspect vehicle and sustained serious injuries,” according to the press release. The Wiscasset Ambulance Service transported Hanna to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
The indictment of Hanna, which follows a Sept. 26 summons, represents a reversal in the case. The day after the incident, the Wiscasset Police Department charged Fitzpatrick with Class C reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and leaving the scene, both felonies.
The district attorney’s office dismissed the case against Fitzpatrick Dec. 9, citing “insufficient evidence.”
The defense attorney for Hanna, Roger F. Brunelle Jr., declined comment.
Hanna is due to appear in Lincoln County Superior Court at 8:30 a.m., Friday, Jan. 3.
A Class B crime carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine under Maine law.
