BANGOR, Maine — Private investigator Victor Kraft has decided to stop working with defense attorneys on several high-profile murder cases after a District Court judge earlier this month signed a temporary protection from harassment order sought against him by a Hampden man.
Kraft also said that he has been too busy working on his own defense to work on other cases, many of which involve court-appointed attorneys.
Kraft, 59, of Bangor is attempting to have the order, signed Aug. 5 by District Court Judge John Lucy, dismissed. A hearing to determine whether a permanent order for one year will be issued is scheduled to be held Wednesday at the Penobscot Judicial Center.
The order was sought by Steven Veneziano, 51, of Hampden.
Efforts to reach Veneziano were unsuccessful Tuesday.
In his affidavit seeking the temporary order, Veneziano accused Kraft of breaking into his residence, stealing mail and hacking into his cellphone.
He also accused Kraft of “Installing multiple GPS tracking devices on my car, stealing person[al] property, threatening me with a gun, following me to appointments and taped my conversations with others,” Veneziano said in his affidavit seeking the order.
The Hampden man also said that Kraft “has brain washed both of my children” and “went down in my basement and [messed] around with my electricity.”
In his motion to dismiss the order, Kraft said that Veneziano is mistaken. The private investigator said that he has never met the man who sought the order. Kraft said he has no knowledge of Veneziano being connected to any cases on which he is working.
Hampden Public Safety Director Joseph Rogers said Tuesday that Veneziano has not filed any complaints against Kraft alleging trespassing, burglary or criminal mischief — all crimes described by Veneziano. Rogers also said that members of the department are familiar with Veneziano but declined to elaborate.
Veneziano pleaded guilty in February 2011 to one count of disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay a $100 fine, according to his criminal history report obtained from the Maine State Bureau of Identification. That same month, the Penobscot County district attorney’s office dismissed one count of violation of a protection from harassment order.
The case was handled by Hampden police, according to the report. Information about what led to the charges was not available late Tuesday.
Disorderly conduct is a Class E crime, punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Violation of a protection from harassment order is a Class D crime, punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $2,000.
The temporary order prevents Kraft from going to any Dunkin’ Donuts in Greater Bangor, the Bangor Mall Cinema, Oriental Jade restaurant, Governor’s restaurant and the Bangor Public Library.
Kraft said the condition that upset him the most was being banned from the library because once a week he takes his 89-year-old mother there.
The private investigator questioned how the judge could sign the order and not know that Kraft works with defense attorneys on homicide and other serious felony cases. Kraft also questioned how the judge could sign the order without calling Hampden police to get information on their experience with Veneziano.
Under Maine law, the legal standard for issuing a protection from harassment order is: “Three or more acts of intimidation, confrontation, physical force or the threat of physical force directed against any person, family or business that are made with the intention of causing fear, intimidation or damage to personal property and that do in fact cause fear, intimidation or damage to personal property.”
While Veneziano accused Kraft of behavior that would meet that definition, the affidavit Veneziano filed did not include times, dates or exact locations for the alleged incidents. The judge also did not state his reasons for issuing the temporary order as required by law.
Kraft is one of about 50 private investigators in Maine who work with defense attorneys, according to John Pelletier, executive director of the Indigent Legal Defense Commission. Investigators are selected by defense attorneys but approved and paid $30 per hour by the commission.
“They primarily interview witnesses in preparation for trials,” Pelletier said last week.
Being served a temporary protection from harassment order does not affect Kraft’s private investigator’s license issued through the Maine State Police, Sgt. Michael Johnston said Tuesday. Things that would cause a license suspension or revocation include: a felony conviction, a domestic violence abuse conviction, not paying child or family support, and three or more misdemeanor or civil convictions in the past five years excluding a domestic violence charge.
Kraft’s workload before the order was issued included: Keith Coleman, 27, of Newburgh, charged with three counts of murder in the December deaths of Christina Sargent, 36, her son, Duwayne Coke, 10, and her daughter, Destiny Sargent, 8; Zachary Grant, 38, of Abbot, who is charged with murder in the death of his father, David Grant, 61, in May; and Jeffrey Paul Barnard, 51, of Ellsworth, charged in federal court with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The private investigator said last week that he is unsure whether he will be able to continue working on court-appointed cases once his case is resolved.
“I have lost faith in the legal system,” Kraft said.