ROCKLAND, Maine — A 43-year-old Cushing man will spend up to two years in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a woman even though she later recanted.
Jonathan Hynd pleaded guilty Monday in Knox County Superior Court to felony domestic violence assault. Charges of criminal mischief and obstructing the report of a crime were dismissed in exchange for his plea to the assault.
Sentencing was delayed until mid-December at which time the defense can argue for less time. Hynd will be held without bail but Justice Jeffrey Hjelm agreed to drop a no-contact provision that had been previously set. The bail change was made at the request of the victim, who has since said the assault did not occur, according to the prosecutor.
The incident occurred Aug. 2 in Cushing. Assistant District Attorney Christopher Fernald said that the woman called 911 to report the assault.
Despite the victim being uncooperative, Fernald said the state had planned to go to trial using a recording of the 911 call and testimony of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy who responded and saw the victim’s condition.
According to Fernald, Hynd grabbed the woman by her shirt and pulled her out of a pickup truck she was sitting in. In an affidavit filed by police at the time of the incident, the woman said Hynd had just erupted over nothing and when she tried to leave he stopped her by pulling her out of the vehicle. He also grabbed her telephone and broke it when she called police, according to the affidavit.
Another witness to the assault also has become uncooperative, saying he is paid by Hynd to care for his mother.
The assault was classified as a felony because Hynd had an aggravated assault conviction in 2007 and an assault conviction in 2007.
Justice Hjelm questioned Hynd and defense attorney Christian Foster about whether Hynd wanted to plead guilty. Hynd said he believed the state had enough evidence for a jury to convict him.
I just don’t get women I guess…They always seem to want to take the bastid back…A friend of mine ‘s wife works for a non profit who deals with domestic assault victims and even she says the women almost always go back , even after spending all sorts of money getting them a new place to live , ect. One of life’s mysteries i guess..A sad one at that…
Learned in a college class that the average female will go back to the abuser 7 times before leaving. Why? Because the fear of the unknown(the non-abusive world) is scarier than the abusive life.w/which she is familiar.
It’s not just women, however they are typically physically less able to fight back effectively, especially if they’re isolated and have no outside support.
Not really addressing whether woman can fight back physically or not, Am talking about fighting back w/knowledge and power which comes from being self confident. And yes, good to add that it is not only women who are abused.
So was I – having made the distinction between the differences in physicality. Read it in context.
Always thought it was because some women liked to get beat. I will never understand why a woman would Leave a decent guy for an abuser.
When your own home and family relationships are not safe and secure, how can one expect ‘the world’ to be a safe place? Or to know how to develop healthy relationships that offer love, comfort, and protection when all you’ve ever known is abuse?
Recant all you like, sister. This is for your own good.
“Oh, but I looooove him”
It is a difficult behavior to understand unless you are the person who has never been taught about personal value. Women and men who put up with abuse have been treated in a manner that convinces them of their worthlessness. Women stay with abusers often because they have no selfworth. If your Daddy or Mommy smacked you around and then gave you a hug, that’s your idea of love. The simple answer is that all of us should have the capabilities to run our own lives but, to often the inability to do so is a gift given by one generation to the next.
Victim recants but still they will not drop charges . In criminal court I thought it was beyond a reasonable doubt ? But yet they did not have enough evidence to go to court in the Greenleaf case.