WATERVILLE, Maine — A squabble between two men Wednesday night landed one of them in the hospital and the other behind bars, according to police.
Just after 10:30 p.m., a man who appeared agitated and intoxicated drew the notice of a woman at the Big Apple store on Elm Street, according to Deputy Chief Charles Rumsey of the Waterville Police Department.
The woman flagged down Officer Robert Bouley, who checked out the man and discovered he had been stabbed in the upper back of his left shoulder.
Rumsey said the man attempted to leave the area when paramedics were dispatched and he had to be taken into protective custody so he could be treated for his wounds.
When police interviewed the injured man, the information they gathered led them to a Western Avenue apartment where Demetrio Bautista, 19, resides, Rumsey said.
When police went into the building, they reportedly found blood on a stairwell leading to Bautista’s unit.
An investigation of the apartment led police to arrest Bautista and charge him with elevated aggravated assault, a Class A felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Rumsey said the victim, a 20-year-old Winslow man whose name he could not release, will not be charged. Detectives think a disagreement between the men led to the attack.
“Detective David Caron said Bautista stabbed the victim because he felt the victim was disrespecting him,” said Rumsey.
Bautista was taken to the Waterville police station and later was released on $25,000 unsecured bail, Rumsey said. He is due in Kennebec County Superior Court on July 10.
