BANGOR, Maine — A Bangor man with a lengthy criminal record who pulled a knife during a domestic assault at his Catell Street residence in August is going to spend 18 months behind bars, Superior Court Justice Ann Murray determined Monday.
Gary Norman Doiron, 52, was originally charged with three counts of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, domestic violence assault and drug possession after police were called to a domestic assault in progress at about 4:45 a.m. Aug. 22 at his house.
He entered a guilty plea on April 9 and was convicted of one count of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, according to Michael Roberts, deputy district attorney for Penobscot County.
When police arrived at Doiron’s house they heard from witnesses that he had pulled a large hunting knife when retreating into the house with a victim and threatened to kill the witnesses if they tried to intervene.
“They were actively recording the argument … on a cellphone,” Roberts said of the witnesses.
Doiron went before Murray at the Penobscot Judicial Center, and she sentenced him after reviewing the circumstances of the crime compared to his criminal history.
Murray said she was “satisfied it was a fairly brief encounter” but then added it also was a serious crime for a man with a criminal history that dates back to 1981.
“This is a very significant history,” she said. “It’s crimes against people — endangering the welfare of a child, gross sexual assault, assault. Those are very serious.”
Doiron has a 1986 aggravated assault and criminal threatening with a deadly weapon conviction, three convictions for endangering the welfare of a child in 1997, and a 1999 rape conviction, along with at least 10 others in Maine and others in Montana, Utah and California, according to Roberts.
Doiron apologized for his actions and said he hopes to someday help open a faith-based housing program for men because “my actions matched my environment.”
Murray responded by saying, “I think there are reasons for hope,” before she imposed his sentence.
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.