BANGOR, Maine — A Superior Court justice on Friday sent a Newport man who served two years behind bars for his role in a 2012 smash-and-grab burglary at a Corinth store back to prison for one year after he admitted violating his probation by assaulting three people and driving drunk.
Michael W. Chapman, 40, was arrested in the early morning hours of July 25, 2015, after committing the assaults, then fleeing a Newport home, according to a previously published report. The series of events leading to the arrest of Chapman began shortly after midnight when a child inside a residence called 911.
Chapman was not at the residence when officers arrived, but police were able to stop a vehicle he was driving that was fleeing from the residence, Newport Police Chief Leonard Macdaid said in July 2015. Chapman took off on foot but was caught quickly by officers.
Stephen Burlock, assistant district attorney for Penobscot County, told Superior Court Justice William Anderson on Friday that Chapman’s blood alcohol level that morning was .31 percent, nearly four times the legal limit of .08 percent.
Shortly before he was sentenced, Chapman pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and one count each of operating under the influence of alcohol and violation of a condition of release, all misdemeanor crimes. It was the eighth time for Chapman to be convicted of drunken driving but his first conviction since November 2000, Burlock said.
Chapman has a criminal history that includes involvement in a smash-and-grab burglary at a Corinth store in 2012, according to Bangor Daily News archives.
In April 2013, Chapman was convicted by a jury of arson, burglary, aggravated criminal mischief and theft and sentenced to 3½ years in prison with all but two years suspended.
Chapman, who was released in June 2014 to begin a two-year period of probation, also was ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution for the break-in. He continues to owe restitution, according to Burlock.
On Friday, Burlock recommended that Chapman go back to prison for four years. Defense attorney Logan Perkins of Bangor urged the judge to impose a sentence of two years probation. She said that Chapman was working, not drinking and meeting regularly with his probation officer when the July incident happened.
Anderson, who also imposed a $1,210 fine, ordered that Chapman remain on probation for another 11 months after his release.
Chapman has been held at the Penobscot County Jail since his arrest in July. That time will count toward 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.