Accused rapist indicted; appears in Bangor court
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Accused rapist indicted; appears in Bangor court


By Judy Harrison
BDN Staff
BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY KEVIN BENNETT
Derwin Springer of Passadumkeag appears in Penobscot County Superior Court in Bangor on Tuesday, Dec. 23.

BANGOR — A Passadumkeag man was indicted Tuesday by the Penobscot County grand jury for sexually assaulting a 60-year-old woman on Oct. 29 after allegedly breaking into her home in the middle of the night.

Derwin Springer Jr., 38, was indicted on charges of gross sexual assault and burglary. He made his first appearance this morning in Penobscot County Superior Court. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday morning.

Superior Court Justice John Nivison this morning ordered that Springer be held without bail until Monday when a hearing will be held to determine whether he will be granted bail. The Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office is asking that he be held at the Penobscot County Jail until his case is resolved.

The victim, who also lives in Passadumkeag less than half a mile from where Springer was living with his parents, did not appear in court this morning. If convicted, Springer faces up to 30 years in prison on the sexual assault charge alone.

A state police affidavit detailed the nighttime burglary and sexual assault.

The woman was asleep in her bedroom in the early morning hours of Oct. 29, the affidavit said. She was awakened when a man placed a gloved hand on her nose and mouth. She told investigators that she struggled with the man but was unable to breathe and lost consciousness.

When the woman came to, according to the affidavit, she had a pillowcase on her head, she was naked from the waist down, and the man was attempting to rape her. She told him to stop at least three times, but the man did not speak to her, the affidavit said.

After the sexual assault, according to the affidavit, the woman said she heard the basement door that leads to the outside close. She removed the pillowcase from her head; it had been secured with duct tape.

The woman tried to call the police but her phone was "disabled," according to the affidavit. She drove to her son's home and called police. The location of his home was not disclosed in court documents.

The woman was taken by ambulance to Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln and transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor before she was released, police said shortly after the attack.

When investigators went to the woman's home after interviewing her, they found pry marks on exterior doors, including one in the basement, according to the affidavit. They also recovered a pillowcase with duct tape on it.

Details about what led investigators to Springer are not included in the affidavit, but detectives interviewed him on Dec. 16 at 13th District Court in Lincoln. He allegedly admitted knowing the victim but denied sexually assaulting her. He told police that he had not been at her house for at least two years, according to the affidavit.

Physical evidence from a rape kit assembled at the hospital where the woman was taken matched Springer's DNA, according to a state police affidavit filed in Superior Court in Bangor. Springer's DNA was obtained from an oral swab police collected from him during an interview, according to court documents.

The Nov. 26 report of a separate home invasion in Passadumkeag is still under investigation, Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy said Friday. A Goulds Ridge Road woman told police that an unidentified man forced his way into her home on Nov. 25, according to a report previously published in the Bangor Daily News.

Almy declined Friday to say whether Springer was a suspect in that incident.

jharrison@bangordailynews.net

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Comments
30 comments on this item

ROT IN HELL YOU SON OF A BITCH GRANNY RAPIST

Seconded.

I am stand behind amhi4me!

Reading that sends chills down my spine. All I can imagine is how that lady is feeling after waking up with that evil man there...my god what a horrible feeling.

The horror of this situation makes me ill. My heart goes out to this poor woman. This story reinforces the need for legal prostitution. Maine needs a place like the chicken Ranch in Nevada. Not a place where PETA can protest the killing of chickens but a place where ugly people can atleast buy sex. We could call it the Moose Ranch. Then when people much like the gentleman in this article feels the need to have rape sex he can pay a little extra for the third door on the left.

well looks like they got the right guy, At least people from passadumkeag can rest now, What about the other case out on the ridge??? Can there be two people doing this kind of shit???

Even though the libs whine about torture, there are indeed instances where torture is acceptable. Make them beg for it to stop, add a few more creative techniques, then terminate them.

Hermon, what is wrong with you? Rape is not about sex - it is about power. Having prositution available won't end sexual assaults. This "man" (and I use the term loosely) is sick in the head. He needs to be cut off from society.

MaryAnn...We live under the premis that a good man will not steal. Most decent men don't or won't.This is a story about theft. Lets take this down to the simplest of terms. The furry triangle is the most sought after piece of real estate on gods green earth. Men will lie, cheat, and yes even steal to obtain acess to this property. When acess to such property becomes readily availabe the instances stated above will become a rarity. A small gate fee into the " Moose ranch" will enable ugly men to roam with the deer and buffalo of Maine.

I'm not totally convinced rape is about power. I think it might be about sex.

There may have been warning signs that the victim could have seen. It’s a possibility the victim and the perpetrator were acquainted to some extent. Since “Details about what led investigators to Springer are not included in the affidavit” there was likely no question as to the perpetrator’s indentityy.

It is sad state of affairs but vulnerable folks need to be alert. Tactical awareness or hyper vigilance may have put off the predator / prey situation right from the start.

what warning signs? he broke into her house while was sleeping, who would ever imagine your next door neighbor after knowing for years, they say he was the same age of one of her son's, could be capable of such a crime, if this is the case, then guess we are all vulnerable.

He wasn't educated enough to realize, hey they now have DNA, that will link me to the crime, he probably thought he was gonna get away with this. The little creep, hope he gets what's coming to him, too bad the son's couldn't of got to him before the law did.

RussHermon I must say that your description of a womans "furry triangle" and your referring to us as "property" is anything but flattering. I believe it is men who view women as property to be had at random, for the going rate that are the ones who all too often end up being the rapist next door! Have you ever researched Las Vegas violent crime rate? Women are raped there daily, as they are in every city where hookers vie for the business of sex on every corner. Women are also raped in rural areas but there, they are less likely to report violent crimes as the possibility of the rapist being someone they know is very real, as is the reality of a convicted rapist being released from jail and re offending. Rape and sexual assault are the cruel reality ALL women have to live with and this horrific crime is due primarily to the shameful behavior of a minority of women. It is women who allow themselves to be so belittled that they would sell themselves to anyone,the tramps who are portraying their gender as nothing more than sexual rags made to mop up the needs of WEAK men, be it for money or to gain a warped sense of power and control over men, that is what leads to mens hatred of and lack of respect for women .These women push men to violence by flaunting their sexuality and teasing every man they encounter. We have all seen these women, in skirts too short and tops that barely cover their breasts, swim wear smaller than undergarments and undergarments displayed on billboards and every television channel.They talk publicly about their private issues, pose for porn so any pervert can masturbate with their photos in hand, they take their clothes off in the "gentlemen's clubs" or worse yet, sit in the church pews while flirting with their neighbors husbands ect... It is this disgusting breed of half wit woman who encourage violence against all women and yet, they would be the first ones to cry rape! Women were intended by GOD to be helpers to their mates, mindless bimbos who have no value beyond sex...not property! And not victims of rape. Sadly, it is often the decent women who lives with integrity who becomes the victim of the horrid crimes instigated by the whores! These perverts are often too intimidated to approach the tramp who teased them, so they go for a woman who is modest and "plain"... Sad consequences of an immoral society!

that should have read NOT mindless bimbos!!!

I've heard of the Bermuda triangle and the Tom Dooley triangle, but not the furry triangle

Russ: I didn't know that Maine had Buffalo. Where do they roam? In the Aroostook potato fields or at Praire on Route 11?

I'm so glad that they caught this JERK!!!! Passadumkeag is a nice little town, scares me that this loser use to live accross the street from my grandmother, thank god he didn't do anything like this to her, however not that it was ever checked into, someone did poision her little boston terrier Sheba, wonder if it was the same person!

keep it clean LOL!!!!!!

This comment is to...awaynow! You are an ass! Yes you moron the two were aquainted by living in the same friggin town for the past 38 years! This piece of shit not only knew his victim but knows all of the victims family! Tiger used to hang out with the victims boys all thru school! What exactly would your "warning" signs be?? The "details" that led investigators to Tiger were his DNA left at the scene of the crime! Just to let you know this woman was not living alone carelessly. She has a house full of guns and knows how to use them! But its pretty hard to use a gun on someone when you are sound asleep. What exactly would you propose that she have done to prevent this from happening to her? Do you sleep with a gun or knife under your pillow? If not there is a pretty good chance that something like this could happen to you or anyone else! It's not like he walked thru the front door that was unlocked. This house was locked up while she was sleeping! HE BROKE IN! Hence the burglary charge. To all of you posters out there who know our family...I thank you for the intelligent and thoughtful comments! For posters like AWAYNOW take your tactical awareness and shove it up your ass!!!!

AMEN TO FROMTHEHORSESMOUTH...ANYHOW, YOU ARE AN ASS..THIS %^@*& IS RELATED TO ME(BY MARRIAGE ONLY)...AND I HOPE THEY FRY HIS FRIGGIN ASS.. I KNEW ALL THOSE BOYS WHEN THEY WERE LITTLE AND I WOULDNT HAVE XPECTED THAT SO HOW THE HELL COULD THE VICTIM HAVE ANY IDEA HE WOULD DO THIS TO HER.HE GREW UP IN THAT TOWN,KNEW HER BOYS,EVEN WENT TO SCHOOL WITH THEM..THEY IS NO WAY SHE HAD ANY WARNING SIGNS, YOU IDIOT..MY PRAYER,S GO OUT TO THE FAMILY AND I HOPE THEY CAN SLEEP A LITTLE EASIER KNOWING HE,S OFF THE STREET, NOT THAT IT MAKES IT EASIER I,M SURE YOU BOYS WANNA KICK HIS ASS BIG TIME.GOD BLESS YOUR FAMILY.I HOPE YOU CAN ALL HEAL FROM THIS..BE THERE FOR EACH OTHER.YOU,D BE AMAZED HOW MUCH IT HELPS TO HAVE A STRONG FAMILY BOND AND A LOT OF LOVE.. YOU CAN GET THRU THIS ..TOGETHER...

I don't see how she could have seen the warning signs. I've thought about this since it happened, and the messed up thing is that if Tiger had knocked on anyone's door around here, he probably would have been just let in. Everyone knows him around here. I for one, will never again acknowledge his existance.

Thanks to you billie196459 for your kind words and prayers! And to countrybumpkin752...you are absolutely right and you are correct he(Tiger) no longer exists! I'm sure Derwin Sr. feels the same as us!

no thanks needed fromthehorsesmouth i am thankful he,s off the street where he can no longer hurt anyone else.countrybumpkin is right if tiger had knocked on alot of people,s door he would have been let in, including mine. my husband was working out of state for 2 weeks and i was alone.had no idea that tiger was a sick f***%,perverted little f***...thank god he didnt know my husband was gone cuz if he had come to my house i would have let him in.he is my husband,s cousin and i would have let him in...i,m glad they caught him..and we will no longer acknowledge his existance either ..i,m sorry for derwin sr. and tiger,s mom but not as sorry as i am for your mom..tiger was not brought up that way.but he def. needs to be taught a lesson on how it feels to be helpless while some one is doing some bad shit to him.. oh he will get his in the end..even his family was not in court..would you be??...i just hope your family can get through this... that f****** little ass ..i still cannot wrap my head around why the hell he would do that to someone who never hurt anyone in her life..

the victim is a good lady she never hurt anyone or anything..she is a good and well liked person who has lived in that town and raised her boys in that town,now this has happened to her in that town by someone she knew.she was totally violated and that prick deserves to be hurt the way she was and worse..she can never look at that town the same way,all the good memories of when she was raising her boys in that town are scarred forever..i am so sorry for you and your family..you are a good family and your mom raised you the right way and she did a good job....please take care of your mom,she needs you..i can,t stop thinking about her and why he did this.obviously he is a sick twisted jerk..he,s probably gonna blame it on the booze..f*** that.i,ve known alot of drunks in my time and they have never hurt anyone but them selves it,s a cop out and i hope he meets some big dude in prison where he belongs, that will tear him a new one..tiger you sick friggin ass.you don,t deserve to be breathing the same air as -----...to the family..i wish i could do something to help you.this #*&%@ spent the night at mynephew,s house cuz he was to drunk to drive so mynephew was nice enough to let him crash on his couch and the ass went into his daughter,s room(she,s 8) and woke her up asking her to go outside with him to get some candy..she was asmart little girl thou,he left in a hurry and she told her dad what happened..then all this came out...there will be a report filed about this also...this ass should never be allowed to walk the streets again..and to tiger,s daughter,s i am sorry that you have to call him dad.

The little girl should have been listened to before and something should have been done about it. All of these comments about the "boys" and the violence that should have come out of it. These are men and they have families who depend on them not to get themselves into trouble and be good role models for their children. What happened is a tragedy not something for people to gossip and insert themselves into the situation because they were "related 2 times over" or grew up in that town. Of course a victim shouldn't be put on trial and said that maybe they could have prevented their own violation. Whoever said that is an uneducated person who has some issues with women themselves. I hope all of this opens people's eyes to the dangers out there and that noone can be trusted. As for people letting drunks spend the night at their house when there are little children present, hopefully you can see that you are leading your kids down the wrong path and putting them in harms way.

Don't be sorry at all, i dont consider Tiger a father of my child. Hasn't been involved for 3 years, and never was in the first place. finally he is behind bars and full custody and adoption is in store for my lil girl! tiger doesnt exist in her eyes, thank god!

good for you kailee..you,re smart to keep you lil girl from knowing him. and thank-god he wasnt involved in her life that much..god was looking out for you and her..i hope your family is very happy...

Sorry Billie, I and many others don't read anything in all caps. Try again

5forfighten i don,t really care what you read or don,t read..oh maybe you just can,t read.. you try again!!

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