WISCASSET, Maine — A British citizen living in Boothbay Harbor has been indicted for aggravated assault and domestic violence assault after police say he tried to strangle his pregnant wife with a belt and then wrapped the belt around her arm and dragged her, threatening to kill her.
Mark Jolleys, 33, was indicted by a Lincoln County grand jury for the Class B and D crimes, which allegedly took place at the couple’s apartment on Dec. 27, 2013.
Police arrived at the apartment early that morning after the then-29-year-old woman, who was 10 weeks pregnant, had fled the home and called for help from a neighboring apartment, according to court records.
When officers arrived, the woman’s “lips were purple,” her neck was red and her arm was bruised, according to a police affidavit.
According to police, the woman reported that after the couple argued, Jolleys ripped off her belt, “wrapped the belt around her neck and was strangling her for several seconds.”
She struggled and was able to get the belt off her neck, but he then allegedly put it around her arm and dragged her.
In a statement, the woman wrote that Jolleys also tried to strangle her with his hands, covered her nose and mouth until she couldn’t breathe, struck her and grabbed her stomach.
The woman said she did not lose consciousness, but she told police that her throat was sore and she was having a hard time swallowing.
But two weeks later, according to court documents, the woman told police she had lied about the entire incident and had just wanted her husband out of the apartment. She wrote to Assistant District Attorney Jonathan R. Liberman asking him not to pursue the case.
It was unclear whether the woman is a U.S. citizen, and Liberman declined to provide that information.
On Tuesday, Liberman said some victims do ask to have the case dismissed, but a decision to move forward with the charges is made on a case-by-case basis depending on factors that include the nature of evidence and the severity of the incident.
“In this case, we have decided to continue to move this case forward,” Liberman wrote in an email to the Bangor Daily News.
On Jan. 23, Jolleys was released on $10,000 cash bail and placed under house arrest. He also surrendered his passport.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on June 24 in Lincoln County Superior Court.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.