EASTPORT, Maine — An Eastport man accused of kidnapping, beating and nearly drowning his ex-girlfriend has pleaded guilty to nine of 13 charges against him in a deal that may allow him to escape attempted murder charges.
Assuming the court accepts the plea deal and sentencing agreement on Dec. 22, Jonathan Chevrier, 31, will spend 13 years in jail, according to District Attorney Matthew Foster.
“It will be up to the judge whether or not to accept the proposal,” Foster said.
At a hearing Dec. 7 in Washington County Superior Court in Machias, Chevrier pleaded guilty to kidnapping, aggravated assault, domestic violence assault, violation of a protective order, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, assault, obstructing a report of crime or injury, criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
He also had been charged with two counts of aggravated attempted murder and one count each of attempted murder and gross sexual assault. These charges will be dropped at sentencing if the judge approves the agreement.
All charges stem from a Dec. 2, 2014, attack on Chevrier’s former girlfriend, who is not being identified by the BDN since she is considered the victim of a crime.
“Had we proceeded to trial, it would not have gone well for my client, so the result we negotiated is fair,” said Chevrier’s attorney, Jeffrey Toothaker of Ellsworth.
He nevertheless described the proposed 13 years as a “stiff sentence” and said he was confident the state would not have prevailed on the four charges expected to be dropped.
“It was an awful night out for the young lady involved,” Toothaker added.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, a 911 call was placed about 3 a.m. Dec. 2, 2014, from the victim reporting her ex-boyfriend, Chevrier, had broken into her apartment on the Pleasant Point reservation and was fighting with her neighbor.
The neighbor told police he woke up to screaming, looked out his window and saw Chevrier slashing the tires on the victim’s vehicle. She banged on her ceiling, which was his floor, and he took that as a plea for help, the affidavit says.
The neighbor went to the victim’s apartment, where he was assaulted by Chevrier but was able to escape with minor injuries, according to court documents.
Chevrier, armed with a knife, then forced the victim, who had an active protection-from-abuse order against him, and her 18-month-old child to leave with him, says the affidavit.
Chevrier drove the victim and the child to a boat landing at Boyden Lake and repeatedly assaulted her, the victim told police. Chevrier also sexually assaulted her, threw her into the lake and tried to drown her, she told police, according to the affidavit.
He then took her from the boat landing to his mother’s residence in Pembroke, where police caught up with him, the affidavit says.
After a brief standoff, officers from Pleasant Point and Eastport were able to talk Chevrier into surrendering without incident.
The victim was taken to Calais Regional Hospital and then by LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
When police interviewed her at the hospital, she was bleeding from her mouth, nose and ears, and scrape marks were visible on her neck, the affidavit says.
“The victim has been very involved with this process, but I cannot comment on whether or not she will support the proposed sentence on the 22nd,” said Foster.
Chevrier has remained in jail since his arrest Dec. 2, 2014, according to Toothaker.