BANGOR, Maine — A local man accused of stabbing his girlfriend during a domestic dispute was ordered held on $50,000 bail after appearing at the Penobscot Judicial Center on Friday.
Terence Lawhorn, 40, was charged with aggravated assault and violating conditions of release following the incident at 10 p.m. Thursday. Police said the 23-year-old victim is recovering well from her injuries at a local hospital.
Bangor District Court Judge John Lucy ordered that Lawhorn have no contact with the victim or the victim’s family, refrain from alcohol or drug use and submit to police searches, among other conditions.
Lawhorn made no statements and did not contest the bail conditions during his appearance via closed-circuit television Friday. He remains at Penobscot County Jail.
Officers were sent to an Acadia Place residence shortly after 10 p.m., when a domestic dispute between the pair was reported. They found the woman, who had suffered several wounds in her lower back, lying on the front porch of her home, with a neighbor holding a bloody towel to her wounds. Officers helped treat her injuries until paramedics took her to Eastern Maine Medical Center, police said.
Witnesses at the scene identified Lawhorn, and Officer Daniel Gastia later tackled Lawhorn after he fell near Downeast School. Lawhorn had no knife on him but had blood on his shirt and arms. Lawhorn denied committing any assault, police said.
Lawhorn told police, “I didn’t hurt her. She’s my girl. I love her.” But he later said, “OK, I admit it,” police said.
Sgt. Tim Cotton, the police supervisor who helped investigate the incident, said the woman apparently was “coming along nicely” at EMMC on Friday.
Witnesses said Lawhorn appeared intoxicated when the fight occurred and had been drinking at a barbecue hours earlier, police said.
Cotton declined to say whether police had found the weapon allegedly used in the assault. A state police trooper and search dog tracked the suspect’s path during a search overnight Thursday. Gastia also reported that his police vehicle rolled into a ditch because he forgot to put it in park when he began running after Lawhorn, police said.
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.