ROCKLAND, Maine — A 22-year-old Warren man will begin an eight-month jail sentence in November for an assault that nearly killed his victim.
Justice William Stokes sentenced Dalton Cross in Knox County Unified Court on Thursday to 20 months total with all but the eight months suspended on charges of assault and criminal mischief.
Cross also will be required to serve one year of probation when he gets out of jail. Should he violate conditions of his probation during that year, Cross could be ordered to serve some or all of the 364-day suspended portion of his sentence, according to Assistant District Attorney Christopher Fernald.
Cross had originally been charged with the more serious felony charge of aggravated assault for the November 2014 assault that occurred in Warren.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office reported that a deputy had been called to oversee Cross as he removed some of his items from a house in Warren. Cross became impatient, however, and stormed into the house before the deputy arrived. The 60-year-old homeowner confronted Cross and struck him in the side with a bat.
The sheriff’s office reported that Cross and Amber St. Pierre took the bat from the homeowner and then struck him with it and also kicked him while he was on the ground.
Deputy John Hansen, who was one of the first officers to arrive, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation to revive the victim, who later recovered.
St. Pierre was sentenced in January to three years in jail with all but nine months suspended for aggravated assault.
The aggravated assault charge against Cross was reduced to a misdemeanor-level charge after he adhered to terms of an agreement reached with the district attorney’s office to undergo counseling for anger management and to refrain from further criminal conduct.