BANGOR, Maine — A Monson man arrested earlier this month on more than a dozen mostly domestic violence charges is back behind bars facing new charges that he violated conditions of his bail.
Jared Clawson, 36, already was facing 16 charges as the result of an investigation that began earlier this month, when one of his alleged victims was interviewed by a district attorney’s investigator.
Clawson, who was arrested on Dec. 19, was released Monday on $15,000 cash bail after making his first appearance at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
Clawson was not asked to enter pleas at that time because some of the charges are felonies and he has not yet been indicted by the Penobscot County grand jury. The grand jury next convenes on Monday.
On Wednesday, however, Newport District Court Judge Evert Fowle ordered that Clawson be held without bail because he allegedly violated the conditions of his release and the terms of a protection order taken out against him by sending messages from his cellphone to his 3-year-old daughter’s iPad, according to R. Christopher Almy, district attorney for Piscataquis and Penobscot counties.
“We believe the messages were intended for the mom,” Almy said, adding that the child cannot read and Clawson was prohibited from having contact with both of them.
Fowle also set bail on the new Piscataquis County charges at $150,000 cash, Almy said. Clawson remains in custody at the Penobscot County Jail.
Charges against Clawson include seven counts of domestic violence assault, two counts of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, two counts of domestic violence terrorizing, two counts of unlawful sexual contact, two counts of criminal mischief and one count of terrorizing with a dangerous weapon, R. Christopher Almy, district attorney for both Penobscot and Piscataquis counties, said Tuesday.
An affidavit filed Monday at the Penobscot Judicial Center indicated that Clawson’s four victims were family members.
The interview that led to the charges took place on Dec. 17, after a Corinth woman filed paperwork for a protection from abuse order in Newport District Court, according to an affidavit filed by Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office investigator Garry Higgins.
Upon reviewing her statement, Higgins determined that there were nine incidents that warranted charges. The incidents occurred in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties from May through October at locations in Bangor, Charleston, Monson and Willimantic, Almy said.
Almy said some of the threats Clawson made included threats to kill the woman. Almy said that children, ages 3 and 1, were present during some of the incidents.
If convicted on the most serious charges of unlawful sexual contact and domestic violence assault, both Class B crimes, Clawson could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 1-866-834-4357, TRS 1-800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.
BDN writer Judy Harrison contributed to this report.