WATERVILLE, Maine — A Clinton man has been charged with breaking several windows earlier this month at the Violette Avenue residence where toddler Ayla Reynolds was reported missing in December, police said Tuesday.
Jeremy Hanson, 19, was charged with one count of criminal mischief in connection with the incident Feb. 3 at the home of the missing girl’s grandmother, Phoebe DiPietro, at 29 Violette Ave.
During an interview at the Waterville police station on Monday night, police said he confessed and was then summoned for criminal mischief and violation of conditions of release. The second charge stems from the fact that when Hanson broke the windows, he was out on bail from an unrelated state police case in which he was charged with driving to endanger, criminal mischief and reckless conduct with a weapon, according to a press release from the Waterville Police Department.
Waterville police said it is unclear whether Hanson has any connection to the residents of the home he allegedly vandalized.
Police said Hanson is scheduled to appear May 8 in Waterville District Court unless he is arraigned earlier. He was not placed into custody.
Ayla Reynolds, daughter of Justin DiPietro and Trista Reynolds, was 20 months old when she was reported missing from the Violette Avenue home on Dec. 17. DiPietro, who lives at the residence with his mother, Phoebe, was not at the home during the window-smashing incident. Justin’s sister, Elisha DiPietro, and her daughter, 19-month-old Gabrielle, were there.
Phoebe DiPietro called police at 11:15 p.m. Feb. 3 to report someone smashing two windows at the residence.
When police arrived, they found no thrown objects. Instead, police believed a bat or a similar weapon was used in the crime, Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey said during a press conference on Feb. 4.
“The force not only broke the window, it broke the screen. It broke a blind behind the window and it sent glass flying throughout the kitchen area onto the floor, onto the counter and onto a highchair that belonged to the grandchild,” Massey said.
Massey described the crime as “cowardly” during the press conference.
“Breaking the windows with that much force and sending glass flying all over the place, waking up people at that hour of the night, waking a small child, exposing them to the cold and possible injury. I think that’s kind of cowardly,” he said.
Ayla Reynolds remains missing. State police and the Maine Wardens Service used dive teams to search the Kennebec River and Messalonskee Steam on Feb. 3 but found nothing related to the toddler.
Most recently, Ayla’s uncle, Lance DiPietro, was summoned for assault on Feb. 6.
Waterville Police Deputy Chief Charles Rumsey said Lance DiPietro assaulted Justin Linnell in Waterville after Linnell shouted something to him as Lance and Justin DiPietro drove by him.
He must be an out of control young man to think that the state police would not have around the clock surveilance on that crime scene- HE WAS RIGHT-they didn’t.
There must be a line of commenters with egg on their faces on this news. If memory serves lots of BDN’s commenters were piling on the “someone in the family broke the windows” bandwagon.
Kid made a mistake . It would have been smarter to say nothing than confess . Do I agree with what he did NO but i can understand how someone can get emotional about what took place. He made a mistake and should be charged . Many times in my younger days I almost did something stupid for revenge .I was called on it an it was explained to me that revenge is a dish best served cold . As I got a little older and wiser I realized that life will pay these people back.
Why did they waist their time on this when they should be arresting the people that were in the house when Ayla went missing?
…..
Not that im sticking up for any of Ayla’s family, but where are the apologies of those that were saying “they did it themselves”!!
Good job on the confession, now can you teach someone else how to confess too!
I remember doing a few stupid things in my day against someone who wronged me. I was questioned by the police . My reply was I would never admit to it. He said good thing because if you did I would have to arrest you. The world is not black and white police have to use judgement. If he had stuck with not guilty if would have been hard to find a jury to convict him. I wonder if the police told him they had witnesses of film? even if they did not to get him to confess.
Jeremy Hanson may not be related to Trista Reynold’s step-father Jeffrey, but I do have to wonder if Jeremy is related to the “other” Jeffrey Hanson” who happens to be a lifetime registrant on ME’s sex offender register.
I’m wondering if his motive was the most obvious which is Ayla is missing or if it had to do with something totally unrelated…
I don’t believe in pointing fingers till all the facts are in but I do love how all the resident posters didn’t have anything to say on this article.