A Waldoboro man allegedly held a woman against her will for four days last month, beating and stabbing her and holding a gun to her head, according to court documents.
Jonathan A. Tarr, 39, faces charges of Class A gross sexual assault and kidnapping, Class B aggravated assault, Class C criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, and Class D domestic violence assault and obstructing report of crime or injury.
Tarr denies the allegations, according to his attorney.
The Waldoboro Police Department first announced the charges in a press release Feb. 2. Court documents reveal details of the allegations against Tarr.
Tarr was “extremely intoxicated” on Jan. 3, according to an affidavit by Waldoboro Police Chief Bill Labombarde. The woman and a child were in a bathroom at his residence in Waldoboro when Tarr allegedly “kicked the door open … and began yelling obscenities at her and punching her while she shielded” the child. He allegedly stomped on the woman’s bare feet with boots on and dragged her into a bedroom, “repeatedly hitting and kicking her.”
Tarr allegedly did not let the woman leave the house until the evening of Jan. 7, according to the affidavit.
For those four days, in addition to further assaults, he allegedly “held a loaded pistol to her head” and threatened to kill her, and later “began hitting her on the side of her head as well as other parts of her body with the pistol,” according to the affidavit.
Later, he allegedly “stabbed her in the leg above the knee through a pillow that she held over her legs for protection,” according to a report by Labombarde in the court file.
Tarr allegedly broke the woman’s cellphone sometime during the period of Jan. 3-7, leading to the charge of obstructing report of crime or injury, according to court documents. He left the evening of Jan. 7.
The incidents were reported Jan. 8, and Labombarde and three of his officers went to Tarr’s home, according to a report by another officer. He was not home, but the officers seized a loaded handgun and seven other firearms, as well as a knife “with spots of brownish reddish coloring on it,” among other evidence.
Officers used cellphone data to track Tarr to Norridgewock in Somerset County on Jan. 9, according to the report. The officers notified the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, which arrested Tarr the same day and brought him to the Somerset County Jail in Madison. He later was transferred to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset.
Tarr initially was held without bail, though a judge granted bail over the state’s objection on Jan. 25, according to court documents and a Waldoboro Police Department news release. His bail is set at $50,000 cash or $125,000 real estate. If he makes bail, he would be under the supervision of the Lincoln County Jail Diversion Program.
He would have to live outside Lincoln County and only return to the county to go to court or meet with his attorney, according to court documents. He could only go to Dresden or Wiscasset to do so. He would be subject to ankle monitoring with “alcohol (and) location provisions.”
His bail conditions would also prohibit contact with the woman and child; prohibit the possession or use of alcoholic beverages, dangerous weapons, or illegal drugs; and require him to submit to random searches and tests to ensure compliance.
Waldoboro police are familiar with Tarr from “other domestic incidents” involving the same woman, according to a police report in the court file.
Tarr was charged with Class D domestic violence assault for an incident involving the woman on Oct. 31, 2013, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty to the charge April 7, 2014, as part of an agreement known as a deferred disposition.
The agreements delay sentencing and require defendants to abide by certain conditions for a period of time. At the end of the period, the defendant can withdraw his or her plea and the state will dismiss or reduce the charge.
In Tarr’s case, he was to refrain from the possession or use of alcohol or illegal drugs, submit to random searches and tests, and undergo counseling for a year. At the end of the year, he was able to withdraw his guilty plea, plead guilty to Class E disorderly conduct, and pay a $500 fine. He completed the agreement and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge on April 27, 2015, according to court documents.
Waldoboro attorney Philip Cohen is representing Tarr in the new case.
“We think there are certainly some issues with the state’s case, which may not be evident at first look, but I think once all the evidence comes out and the court hears both sides, which they haven’t been able to do yet, I don’t believe all the charges are going to stand,” Cohen said.
Cohen and his client are working toward making arrangements for his bail, including finding a jurisdiction willing and able to monitor Tarr via ankle bracelet, according to Cohen. Some Maine counties have the capability, Cohen said.
Tarr is scheduled to make his next court appearance at the Lincoln County Courthouse at 8:30 a.m. March 14.