A prominent Waldoboro lawyer charged in November with domestic violence assault avoided jail time through a plea bargain, but he will return to court – and could have that deal voided – after allegedly assaulting the same victim again one day after the plea agreement was granted.
Philip S. Cohen, 45, was arrested in November at his Waldoboro home after the alleged assault.
On July 11, Justice Roland A. Cole accepted a plea agreement in which Cohen pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and violation of conditions of release, according to court documents. In exchange, Cole granted Cohen a deferred disposition, meaning that if Cohen complied with a number of conditions for one year, the domestic violence charge would be dismissed.
The conditions included Cohen not engaging in any further criminal conduct, not contacting the victim without the victim’s agreement and without notifying the district attorney in advance, and that he undergo a mental health evaluation with a focus on anger and violence issues.
But just more than 24 hours after the judge set those conditions, Cohen allegedly assaulted the same person again at a Jefferson camp, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. The allegation prompted Androscoggin County Assistant District Attorney Andrew Matulis to file a motion to terminate the plea agreement and deferred disposition.
The full article is available from the Bangor Daily News.
